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Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences

College of Art& Sciences, Western Illinois University - Quad Cities

Program of Study

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) degree at Western Illinois University - Quad Cities offers focused programs tailored to students´ academic needs and interests and provides a broad liberal education base. The program incorporates study in the traditional areas of liberal education– Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences/Mathematics– to form a cohesive academic foundation. The degree program provides a cohesive base for employment opportunities and further professional and graduate education.

Student receiving award. Rachel Thomas at Undergraduate Research Day, flanked by outgoing President Al Goldfarb (left) and incoming President Jack Thomas (right), after presenting her paper, "Religious Syncretism in Fiction and Culture: Yann Martel's _Life of Pi_ and the Baha'i Tradition."

Structure

The LAS program is a 120 semester hour (SH) baccalaureate program with a 36 SH (minimum) major course of study. Students can complete the degree in several different ways. Students may elect to complete a Multidisciplinary Emphasis or a Paired Minor Emphasis (both are explained below). The major includes introductory and capstone courses. In addition, students in the LAS program will complete the College´s general education requirements as well as a minor program of study in a discipline of the student´s choosing. A number of elective courses round out the degree requirements.

Emphases in the LAS Degree

The Bachelor of LAS program offers two types of emphases:

  • 1. Multidisciplinary Emphases

    People in Context explores human behavior and the interrelated forces (i.e., individual, biological, social, environmental, political, and cultural) that influence us.
    The Environment offers broad study of the environment from scientific, social, political, and humanistic vantage points.

  • 2. Paired Minor Emphasis

    Students can select two existing liberal arts and sciences minor programs that meet his or her academic or career needs. To ensure the integrity of the degree, some restrictions exist regarding which minors may be paired, but there are numerous possibilities.
Faculty

Through participation in the LAS program, students will have the opportunity to study with a highly qualified and diverse faculty who hold advanced degrees from prestigious institutions from throughout the United States and from around the world.

Scholarships

Students at performance of The Vagina Monologues. (Clockwise from left) Kristin Sylvester, Bobbie Sue Watts, Sarah Palmer, Jessie Wagner, and Jessica Shaw just before curtain at a performance of The Vagina Monologues.

There are many scholarships for which LAS students are eligible. Visit the scholarships website at wiu.edu/Scholarship for additional information.

Transfer Students

In most cases, students entering the LAS program with an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree should be able to complete the program within four semesters. Students pursuing an associate degree who plan to enroll in the LAS program should consult with their adviser to ensure a smooth transition to Western.

Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Undergraduate research and creative activity programs in the College of Arts and Sciences have had a phenomenal effect on students´ learning experiences. In these programs, undergraduates work directly with faculty mentors in numerous areas throughout the College to conduct research and creative activity projects. Through these programs, students learn to seek answers in a logical and methodical way, and to communicate these answers to people who may not be specialists in a particular area. These skills will last students a lifetime. Competitive student undergraduate research and creative activity grants are available.

 

Students in class.

(Left to right) Jenna Bounds, Brady Hartley, and Aaron Graf in a seminar.

After College

The Bachelor of LAS degree is designed to prepare students for a productive life, equipping them with the transferable skills most valued by employers. Those skills include the ability to think critically, to communicate cogently and persuasively, to analyze situations and synthesize information, and to approach and understand things from a variety of perspectives. The LAS degree can prepare students for careers in journalism, social services, public relations, politics, customer service, advertising, recruitment, personnel, and more. Students who complete the LAS degree may also consider graduate studies in English, history, journalism, law, biology, psychology, sociology, communication, and other professional disciplines. Additionally, our Master of LAS degree provides the opportunity for further customized graduate education.

Student completing assignment.  Nick Reans gives Bobbie Sue Watts a personal tour of his project on Walt Whitman during the College of Arts & Sciences End-of-Year Research Evening at the Butterworth Center in Moline.

For More Information

For admissions process and general program information, contact Western Illinois University - Quad Cities, 3561 60th Street, Moline, Illinois 61265, (309) 762-9481.

For program information and advising contact:

Dr. Althea K. Alton, Director
Liberal Arts and Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
309/298-1828
las-bacc@wiu.edu