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The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree is designed for UAS students seeking a broad-based, multidisciplinary education. It is designed particularly for those students who have already completed a two-year Associates degree, transfer students from other universities, and non-traditional students who have previously completed university credits.

Students consult with faculty in their areas of interest to pursue interdisciplinary or individualized courses of study. This Liberal Arts degree can lead to graduate school or jobs in which critical thinking and communication skills are valued. BLA graduates who are interested in teaching may also apply to the one-year Master of Arts in Teaching programs at UAS. 

Liberal Arts Emphasis Options

In each BLA degree program, students pursue one of the following Emphasis options: Designated Emphasis, Interdisciplinary Studies, or Independent Design. Courses used for GER credit cannot be used to fulfill Liberal Arts Emphasis courses or must be replaced by substitute disciplinary courses of equal credits.

BLA degrees must include:

1. 120 credits minimum.
2. 3 credits minimum Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement
3. 48 credits minimum in the Liberal Arts Major (9 credits Liberal Arts Core, 39 credits Liberal Arts Emphasis).
4. 42 credits minimum upper-division.
5. 2 credits minimum upper-division capstone course completed through UAS.  

Admission Requirements

Students need to complete a formal application process at Admissions on the local campus (Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka) or online at uaonline.alaska.edu.

Students are admitted to the program after admission to UAS and declaring that they intend to pursue a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree.

The Liberal Arts Major combines Core and Emphasis courses. Courses used for GER credit cannot be used to fulfill Liberal Arts Major courses or must be replaced by substitute courses of equal credits.

Liberal Arts Core

Upon admission into the BLA program, students are required to enroll in the Student Portfolio course. This course is designed to assist students in planning their program of study with the approval of their BLA faculty advisor. The portfolio is used for purposes of continuing self-assessment during the student’s BLA program. Students must complete the Portfolio course within the first three semesters after matriculation; those who do not will be dropped from the BLA program and must officially reapply for admission.

Liberal Arts Emphasis

General Requirements for all emphasis options:

1. During the semester the student is admitted to the BLA, an Emphasis option (listed below) must be formally declared by the student and approved by the BLA coordinator or the student’s faculty advisor.
2. 3 credits minimum Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement.
3. Six to eight credits in a one year sequence of a single Alaska Native or other language, or documented proficiency in a language (not English).
4. 24 minimum upper-division in credits required in the Emphasis program.
5. Includes a 2-credit minimum upper-division capstone course (such as ODS S445, BA S462, HUM S499, or an advisor-approved Internship S491, Practicum S494, Individual Research S498, Independent Study S497, or Thesis S499).
6. A passing BLA Student Portfolio is required for degree completion.

Designated Emphasis

A designated emphasis provides a focused course of study in the Liberal Arts not available through other baccalaureate degree programs offered through UAS.

Alaska Native Languages and Studies

Outdoor and Adventure Studies

¹

Or proof of certification.

²

Advisor-approved courses

The Liberal Arts Major combines Core and Emphasis courses. Courses used for GER credit cannot be used to fulfill Liberal Arts Major courses or must be replaced by substitute courses of equal credits.

Liberal Arts Core

¹

AKL S3XX, AKL S4XX, ANS S3XX, ANS S4XX, COMM S3XX, COMM S4XX, ENGL S3XX, ENGL S4XX, HUM S3XX, HUM S4XX

²

This requirement may be waived if the Liberal Arts major includes a PHIL course. Note that, in this case, an additional 3 credits in the core electives will be needed.

³

Includes a 2-credit minimum upper-division capstone course (such as ODS S445, BA S462, HUM S499, or an advisor-approved Internship S491, Practicum S494, Individual Research S498, Independent Study S497, or Thesis S499).

⁴

Six to eight credits in a one-year sequence of a single Alaska Native or other language.  With departmental approval, students who study abroad in a language other than English, or who have documented proficiency in a language (other than English), will be considered to have met their language requirement.

Upon admission into the BLA program, students are required to enroll in the Student Portfolio course. This course is designed to assist students in planning their program of study with the approval of their BLA faculty advisor. The portfolio is used for purposes of continuing self-assessment during the student’s BLA program. Students must complete the Portfolio course within the first three semesters after matriculation; those who do not will be dropped from the BLA program and must officially reapply for admission.

Liberal Arts Emphasis

General Requirements for all emphasis options:

1. During the semester the student is admitted to the BLA, an Emphasis option (listed below) must be formally declared by the student and approved by the BLA coordinator or the student’s faculty advisor.
2. 3 credits minimum Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement.
3. Six to eight credits in a one year sequence of a single Alaska Native or other language, or documented proficiency in a language (not English).
4. 24 minimum upper-division in credits required in the Emphasis program.
5. Includes a 2-credit minimum upper-division capstone course (such as ODS S445, BA S462, HUM S499, ANS S499, or an advisor-approved Internship S491, Practicum S494, Individual Research S498, Independent Study S497, or Thesis S499).
6. A passing BLA Student Portfolio is required for degree completion.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies provides academic depth to a general course of Liberal Arts study by combining cross-disciplinary primary and secondary fields. Primary and secondary fields must be different. Primary and secondary fields may not both be Social Sciences, however History may be considered either a Humanities or Social Science discipline. A course that is applied to the primary field cannot also be applied to the secondary field (except in situations where course topic varies and may be repeated for credit). The Interdisciplinary Studies program must be approved by the student’s BLA faculty advisor.

Primary Field

The primary field consists of BLA faculty advisor approved course electives (24 credits, minimum of 15 credits upper division) under one of the following categories. In some instances, minimal course requirements are designated.

¹

The remaining courses may be selected from any Alaska Native Languages or Northwest Coast Art course, or any Alaska Native-specific Humanities, Social Science, or Cross-Disciplinary courses approved by the BLA Alaska Native Studies Faculty Advisor (these courses may be from different disciplines, but all must have Alaska Native themes or issues as an important component in their curriculum).  A student completing a primary field in Alaska Native Languages and Studies may not choose a secondary field in Tlingit Language.

 

 

Secondary Field

The secondary field, which must be different than the primary field, consists of 15 credits (minimum 6 credits upper-division). 

Liberal Arts secondary fields available at UAS include: Alaska Native Languages and Studies (see primary field description for minimal requirements), Anthropology, Art, Biology, Business Studies¹, Communication, Creative Writing, Economics, English, Environmental Science, Government, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Tlingit Language.

Liberal Arts Electives/Minor

Courses from AA degrees, transfer credits from accredited universities or colleges, or other University of Alaska credits at the 100 level or higher may be counted for elective credit. A Minor field must differ from disciplinary coursework completed for the Liberal Arts Emphasis. Any overlap in specific courses between GER, the Liberal Arts Major, and a Minor requires course substitutions.

¹

Business Studies include ACCT, BA, LAWS, and CIS designated courses.

The Liberal Arts Major combines Core and Emphasis courses. Courses used for GER credit cannot be used to fulfill Liberal Arts Major courses or must be replaced by substitute courses of equal credits.

Liberal Arts Core

¹

AKL S3XX, AKL S4XX, ANS S3XX, ANS S4XX, COMM S3XX, COMM S4XX, ENGL S3XX, ENGL S4XX, HUM S3XX, HUM S4XX

²

This requirement may be waived if the Liberal Arts major includes a PHIL course. Note that, in this case, an additional 3 credits in the core electives will be needed.

³

Includes a 2-credit minimum upper-division capstone course (such as ODS S445, BA S462, HUM S499, or an advisor-approved Internship S491, Practicum S494, Individual Research S498, Independent Study S497, or Thesis S499).

⁴

Six to eight credits in a one-year sequence of a single Alaska Native or other language.  With departmental approval, students who study abroad in a language other than English, or who have documented proficiency in a language (other than English), will be considered to have met their language requirement.

Upon admission into the BLA program, students are required to enroll in the Student Portfolio course. This course is designed to assist students in planning their program of study with the approval of their BLA faculty advisor. The portfolio is used for purposes of continuing self-assessment during the student’s BLA program. Students must complete the Portfolio course within the first three semesters after matriculation; those who do not will be dropped from the BLA program and must officially reapply for admission.

Liberal Arts Emphasis

General Requirements for all emphasis options:

1. During the semester the student is admitted to the BLA, an Emphasis option (listed below) must be formally declared by the student and approved by the BLA coordinator or the student’s faculty advisor.
2. 3 credits minimum Alaska Native Knowledge Graduation Requirement.
3. Six to eight credits in a one year sequence of a single Alaska Native or other language, or documented proficiency in a language (not English).
4. 24 minimum upper-division in credits required in the Emphasis program.
5. Includes a 2-credit minimum upper-division capstone course (such as ODS S445, BA S462, HUM S499, or an advisor-approved Internship S491, Practicum S494, Individual Research S498, Independent Study S497, or Thesis S499).
6. A passing BLA Student Portfolio is required for degree completion.

Independent Design

This option is designed for highly motivated students who are interested in completing a BLA program that does not fall under any Designated Emphasis or Interdisciplinary Studies option.

Independently designed BLA programs are available only to students who have a tenure-track faculty member who agrees to supervise their degree program. The student and supervisor will work together to design a degree proposal that provides a coherent body of knowledge at the baccalaureate level. The Independent Design must be approved by the supervising faculty member, the supervising faculty member’s department chair, and the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

The Independent Design must meet the following requirements:

1. 24 emphasis credits minimum must be upper division.
2. 24 emphasis credits minimum must be completed after the Independent Design program is approved by the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

Any changes to a program in progress must be approved by the supervising faculty member, the supervising faculty member’s department chair, and the Dean of Arts and Sciences.

1. Articulate ideas, content, and personal goals through purposeful written or artistic expression.
2. Demonstrate interdisciplinary competency in their chosen field(s).
3. Create original work or research in their chosen field(s).
4. Critically engage assumptions, presuppositions and gaps in thought, social discourse, and creative expression within their chosen field(s).
5. Engage with the cultures and environment of Southeast Alaska.