Undergraduate
The IU School of Liberal Arts offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree in a number of disciplines, a Bachelor of Science in American Sign Language degree, a two-year Associate of Arts degree, and a variety of structured minors and certificate programs for students pursuing Liberal Arts or other degrees. At the heart of the school’s programs are the following:
| Programs | BA/BS | Certificate | Minor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africana Studies | BA | Certificate | |
| American Sign Language | BS | Certificate | |
| American Studies | Minor | ||
| Ancient Greek & Latin | Minor | ||
| Anthropology | BA | Minor | |
| Arabic, Islamic Studies | Minor | ||
| Arts & Humanities | |||
| Business & Professional Writing | Minor | ||
| Chinese Studies | Certificate | Minor | |
| Classical Studies | Minor | ||
| Communication Studies | BA | Minor | |
| Economics | BA | Minor | |
| English | BA | ||
| English, Creative Writing | BA | Minor | |
| English, Film Studies | BA | Minor | |
| English, Linguistics | BA | Minor | |
| English, Literature | BA | Minor | |
| European Studies | Minor | ||
| French | BA | Minor | |
| French+Engineering | BA/BS | ||
| Geographic Information Science | Certificate | ||
| Geography | BA | Minor | |
| German | BA | Minor | |
| German+Engineering | BA/BS | ||
| History | BA | Minor | |
| History, European | BA | Minor | |
| History, Non U.S. Non-European | BA | Minor | |
| History, Thematic | BA | ||
| History, U.S. | BA | Minor | |
| Human Communication in a Mediated World | Certificate | ||
| Individualized Major | BA | ||
| International Studies | BA | Minor | |
| Italian | Minor | ||
| Japanese Studies | Minor | ||
| Legal Studies | Minor | ||
| Medical Humanities and Health Studies | Minor | ||
| Motorsport Studies | Certificate | ||
| Museum Studies | Certificate | ||
| Paralegal Studies | Certificate | ||
| Philanthropic Studies | BA | Minor | |
| Philosophy | BA | Minor | |
| Political Science | BA | ||
| Pre-Law Political Science | BA | ||
| Religious Studies | BA | Minor | |
| Sociology | BA | Minor | |
| Sociology, Medical | Minor | ||
| Spanish | BA | Minor | |
| Spanish+Engineering | BA/BS | ||
| Theatre and Performance | Certificate | ||
| Translation Studies | Certificate | ||
| Women's Studies | Minor | ||
| Writing and Literacy | BA |
Statement of Goals
Graduates of the IU School of Liberal Arts should exemplify the ideals of a liberal arts education and the University’s “Principles of Undergraduate Learning.”
Students should be broadly educated across the disciplines and well trained in a particular major. They should have: (1) proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking skills; (2) competence in quantitative, language, and analytic skills; (3) a broad-based experience in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences; and (4) a major area of study. Although faculty and counselors are available to help students acquire these proficiencies and attitudes, learning must be self-motivated. To be taught, one must first be interested in learning. A liberal arts education, therefore, is the responsibility of the individual student.
By graduation, a liberal arts education should have provided the opportunity for a student to attain the IUPUI “Principles of Undergraduate Learning,” which are:
- Core Communication and Quantitative Skills: The ability of students to express and interpret information, perform quantitative analysis, and use information resources and technology—the foundational skills necessary for all IUPUI students to succeed.
- Critical Thinking: The ability of students to engage in a process of disciplined thinking that informs beliefs and actions. Students who demonstrate critical thinking apply the process of disciplined thinking by remaining open-minded, reconsidering previous beliefs and actions, and adjusting their thinking, beliefs, and actions based on new information.
- Integration and Application of Knowledge: The ability of students to use information and concepts from studies in multiple disciplines in their intellectual, professional, and community lives.
- Intellectual Depth, Breadth, and Adaptiveness: The ability of students to examine and organize disciplinary ways of knowing and to apply them to specific issues and problems.
- Understanding Society and Culture: The ability of students to recognize their own cultural traditions and to understand and appreciate the diversity of the human experience.
- Values and Ethics: The ability of students to make sound decisions with respect to individual conduct, citizenship, and aesthetics.