Liberal Studies

Students in Liberal Studies span the boundary between Humanities and Social Sciences. Many students use this degree as a stepping stone to a professional school, like law school or medical school. That's the advantage of being part of a comprehensive research university with access to technology. You get the best of both worlds: exploring the big issues while immersed in Clarkson's unique blend of arts and sciences.

The Liberal Studies major is our broadest and most flexible major. You can design a rigorous program to study what interests you. Our program allows you to on insights from numerous disciplines to analyze significant intellectual problems. Critical thinking, the ability to write, the opportunity to look at problems from various perspectives — you will gain all of that through the Liberal Studies program.

Liberal Studies majors at Clarkson benefit from the outstanding scholarship and personal attention of faculty in a very broad range of disciplines: anthropology, creative writing, history, literature and film, philosophy, political science, and sociology. The Liberal Studies program allows students to focus on themes in Clarkson's curriculum — American Studies; Cross-Cultural Perspectives; and Science, Technology, and Society — and other issues and problems that cross the boundary between the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Faculty work individually with students to prepare them for careers in a world that demands creativity in analyzing problems, expertise in technology, and an understanding of diverse perspectives. Thanks to our small size and friendly, collaborative culture, you'll rub shoulders with peers in technology-based majors so that you gain an appreciation of their mindsets and perspectives.