B.A. in Liberal Studies

Liberal Studies at UC Merced is a new major program launching Fall 2026, as just the second Liberal Studies degree program in the UC system.

Why do people think and act as they do? How do cultures and institutions shape our lives? What can the past teach us about the present? How do people make meaning and express themselves? The B.A. in Liberal Studies is an interdisciplinary degree that draws from fields across the social sciences, humanities, and arts to examine the forces shaping self and society. By engaging with diverse forms of inquiry and ways of understanding the world, students learn to integrate knowledge across disciplines and approach complex issues from multiple perspectives. This integrative approach fosters the dispositions and skills that employers consistently value as difficult to automate and hard to find: critical and creative thinking, effective communication, collaboration across differences, and the ability to adapt to new information and changing circumstances. Graduates are prepared for a wide range of careers, graduate study, and leadership roles in their professions and communities.

Liberal Studies is also the preferred major for students pursuing careers as elementary teachers or early childhood educators. The degree satisfies the California Subject Examination of Teachers (CSET) for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (TK-8). Students pursuing an Early Childhood Education Specialist Credential (preschool-3) can satisfy subject matter competency for both the Multiple Subject and PK-3 credentials with 24 units of early childhood education or child development coursework. Our program works closely with CalTeach, a UC-systemwide initiative to provide future teachers with individualized guidance, courses, and field experiences that complement students' work in the major and set students up for success in their credential program. We also support students with admission to UC Merced's Teacher Preparation Program, which offers in-person and online credential programs, including a new PK-3 credential program launching this fall 2026.

Read more about this new major program.

 

Emphasis Tracks in Social Sciences and Humanities & Arts 

The program also includes two emphasis tracks—Social Sciences and Humanities & Arts—that allow students to ground their interdisciplinary work in a primary subject area of study. Within each track, students select a core discipline that provides depth and perspective while engaging with related fields across the social sciences, humanities, and arts. 

** IMPORTANT: Students who plan to pursue a teaching credential should carefully consider whether to declare an emphasis track. Only diplomas that exactly match the approved list of degree majors from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (“Liberal Studies, B.A.”) will satisfy the Subject Matter Competency requirement for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential by degree title. Students who declare an emphasis track will be required to take the California Subject Examination of Teachers (CSET) to satsify Subject Matter Competency.

     

    Degree Requirements 

    Liberal Studies, B.A.       Social Sciences Emphasis       Humanities & Arts Emphasis

     

    Cornerstone and Capstone Experiences  

    Introduction to Liberal Studies (LBST 001) **Satisfies GE Ethics, GE Diversity and Identity

    In the cornerstone course, students explore how different disciplines create and evaluate knowledge through questions such as: How do we know what we know? How do scholars investigate the world and make meaning from it? How do our identities, experiences, and social contexts shape the questions we ask and the knowledge we produce? How can bringing multiple perspectives together help us better understand and address complex challenges? Through academic and career planning activities, students explore their interests, identify potential pathways through the major, connect their coursework to future goals, and develop an academic plan for making the most of their Liberal Studies degree and their experience at UC Merced. 

    Capstone in Liberal Studies (LBST 191) **Satisfies GE Culminating Experience

    The capstone brings together learning from across the major. Students reflect on questions such as: What have I learned from studying complex issues through multiple disciplinary perspectives? How has my understanding of knowledge, evidence, and inquiry evolved? What connections can I draw across different fields of study? And how can I apply what I have learned to challenges facing my communities and society? Through reflection, portfolio development, and career preparation activities, students articulate the value of their Liberal Studies education and identify the knowledge and skills they bring to future opportunities. The capstone serves as both a culmination of the Liberal Studies experience and a bridge to the next stage of students' academic, professional, and civic lives.

    TEAL Classrooms

    Both courses are taught in UC Merced's Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) classrooms, where students learn through discussion, collaboration, and applied learning rather than lecture alone.

     

    Program Learning Outcomes

    The following program learning outcomes are part of core knowledge, knowledge creation and interpretation, and application in Liberal Studies. Upon graduation, students who major in Liberal Studies will be able to:

    1. Compare and contrast how different fields of study ask questions and solve problems;

    2. Critically analyze and integrate knowledge and skills across different fields of study to understand complex issues and engage real world challenges;

    3. Demonstrate critical thinking, with problem-solving skills from evidence-based reasoning;

    4. Recognize complexity, diversity and change in engaging contemporary problems across local and global contexts;

    5. Communicate clearly in written, spoken, and visual formats, using evidence to support ideas for a variety of authentic purposes.