Liberal Studies
Department Affiliation: Education
The Liberal Studies major is an integrative program of study designed specifically for students seeking a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential authorizing them to teach in California elementary schools. Students are concurrently enrolled in the Liberal Studies major and the Elementary Teacher Preparation program. (See Education.) This rigorous and intellectually stimulating major is designed to:
- Prepare teachers who know subject matter in the liberal arts and sciences and who demonstrate understanding and appreciation of the diverse fields of human endeavor.
- Enable future teachers to see relationships between subject matter content and the ways subject matter is developed, learned, and taught.
- Assist future teachers in learning specified content in the major areas of study (see Major Requirements).
- Help future teachers acquire the skills needed to transfer their knowledge to real-life applications in elementary classrooms.
Students in the major explore areas of learning as active participants; they acquire a variety of skills and techniques, reflect on the learning process, and take responsibility for their role in it.
To be eligible for acceptance into the Liberal Studies major as part of a concurrent program of teacher preparation, applicants must have achieved a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (C +) in high school and in any previous college coursework. At the discretion of the program director, students pursuing the Liberal Studies major may be assigned course credit for an Advanced Placement Scores of 3, as well as of 4 or 5, in subject areas that fulfill requirements for the major.
Students who change their professional goals and do not pursue a teaching credential concurrently with the B.A. degree may continue in the Liberal Studies. In these instances course requirements may vary with the approval of the program director. Depending on career goals, students are encouraged to double-major or minor in an area of interest. Ordinarily, in these instances, a change of major from Liberal Studies to another area of the liberal arts is recommended.
EDU 101 and EDU 102 are not required for majors who withdraw from the concurrent program of teacher preparation.
MSMU does not do equivalency evaluations of academic preparation programs or courses completed by candidates from other colleges or universities.
Contact the Director of the Liberal Studies major with questions about meeting requirements for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. California legislation and regulations regarding credential requirements are subject to change and supersede MSMU catalog policies and department procedures regarding them.