Sample TESU BA Liberal Studies Degree Plan
Generic BALS Degree Plan[edit]
This is a generic degree plan that applies to Thomas Edison State University for a BALS (Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies) as of May 2020. Please make sure that the suggestions are still valid before beginning to follow this plan.
General Education Requirements[edit]
See the GE Requirements Roadmap for suggestions.
Liberal Studies - No Concentration[edit]
Part A. Upper Level[edit]
15 credits required. Two or more different areas must be included within concentration to provide breadth of knowledge in the Liberal Studies Area.
Important: Not every UL credit will apply to every Liberal Studies degree. Please verify with an academic advisor before attempting any course. These are only examples of possible courses to take. There are many others available from self-study options such as BYU, IS of Idaho, University of Arkansas, etc. or from local community colleges.
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Lib Studies UL | WPT/OPI(c) exam This exam is for students who are multi-lingual |
ACTFL |
| Lib Studies UL | Psychology 310: Psychology of Personality | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | Psychology 312: History and Systems of Psychology | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | Sociology 305: Sociology of Work | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | Computer Science 302: Systems Analysis & Design | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | Computer Science 306: Computer Architecture | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | English 301: Non-Western Literature | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | English 305: Advanced Technical Writing | Study.com |
| Lib Studies UL | Abnormal Psychology (PSY-302) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Jewish Art of Antiquity (ART-301) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | The Music of the Orthodox Jew from Antiquity through the Twentieth Century (MUS-301) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Family Therapy (PSY-306) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Foundations of Stress Management (PSY-310) Maybe. See Coopersmith wiki page for info |
Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Substance Abuse Counseling (PSY-320) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Medieval Hispano-Jewish Poetry (LIT-401) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Sport and Exercise Psychology (PSY-340) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Physiological Psychology (PSY-303) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Sport and Exercise Psychology (PSY-340) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior (PSY-305) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Clinical Exercise Physiology I (SCI-303) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Clinical Exercise Physiology II (SCI-304) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Jewish Participation in the Garment Industry (HIS-302) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Eastern European Jewish Immigration and Settlement in the United States (HIS-301) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | A Social History of Jewish Food (SOC-302) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Jewish Clothing in History, Society, and Thought (SOC-305) | Coopersmith |
| Lib Studies UL | Sociology of the Ba’al Teshuva Movement (SOC-303) | Coopersmith |
Part B. Liberal Studies[edit]
24 credits required; maximum of 6 credits can be 100-level.
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Lib Studies | Introduction to Statistics (200-level) | Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | Conflict Resolution (200-level) | Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | Ancient Greek Philosophers (200-level) | Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | Visual Communications (200-level) | Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | Environmental Science (200-level) Take Human Biology, Introduction to IT, and/or Introduction to Chemistry to fill the Natural Science portion of the General Education requirements |
Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | Developing Effective Teams (200-level) 1 credit | Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | The Essentials of Managing Conflict (200-level) 1 credit | Sophia.org |
| Lib Studies | Psychology 301: Industrial/Organizational Psychology | Study.com |
| Lib Studies | Any 100 or 200-level course | Sources of Credit or Several Sources Of Cheap Credit |
Liberal Studies - Criminal Justice Concentration[edit]
Not really recommended. A criminal justice degree from UMPI should be both faster and easier. These courses are also not guaranteed to work for this concentration.
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| AOJ-102 Intro to Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice 101: Intro to Criminal Justice | Study.com |
| AOJ-280 Forensic Science | CRIM 415: Forensic Criminology (maybe) | CSU Pueblo IS |
| SOC-291 Criminology | Criminal Justice 104: Introduction to Criminology Confirm with advisor that this course will meet this requirement |
Study.com |
| AOJ-381 Victomology and Criminal Behavior | CRJU 3810 Victimology | eMajor |
| AOJ-310 Criminal Law | CRJU 3100 Criminal Law | eMajor |
| AOJ-303 White Collar Crime or AOJ-363 American Juvenile Justice System or AOJ-484 Public Policy, Crime, and Criminal Justice |
Criminal Justice 305: The Juvenile Justice System | Study.com |
Liberal Studies - Humanities Concentration[edit]
30 credits in liberal studies, including 18 credits of Humanities (these are courses that fit under the Humanities section of the "Knowledge of Human Cultures" category). This includes art, communications, English, ethics, humanities, literature, music, philosophy, religion, foreign language.
15 Humanities credits must be UL. 6 credits in the AOS are allowed to be 100 level.
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities UL | Business 305: Leadership Communication | Study.com |
| Humanities UL | Business 324: Managerial Communication | Study.com |
| Humanities UL | English 305: Advanced Technical Writing | Study.com |
| Humanities UL | Business 318: Management Ethics | Study.com |
| Humanities UL | English 301: Non-Western Literature | Study.com |
| Humanities UL | MAN-390 Managerial Communications Overlaps with Business 324 at Study.com |
Davar |
| Humanities UL | WPT/OPI(c) exam This exam is for students who are multi-lingual |
ACTFL |
| Humanities UL | Medieval Hispano-Jewish Poetry (LIT-401) | Coopersmith |
| Humanities UL | The Music of the Orthodox Jew from Antiquity through the Twentieth Century (MUS-301) | Coopersmith |
| Humanities UL | Jewish Art of Antiquity (ART-301) | Coopersmith |
Liberal Studies - Natural Sciences & Mathematics Concentration[edit]
30 credits in liberal studies, including 18 credits of Natural Sciences & Math (these are courses that fit under the "Understanding the Natural and Physical World" category). This includes forensic science, biology, chemistry, computer information systems, computer science, earth science, fitness, biomedical ethics, physics, physiological psychology.
15 NS&M credits must be UL. 6 credits in the AOS are allowed to be 100 level.
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Science & Math UL | Business 303: Management Information Systems | Study.com |
| Natural Science & Math UL | Computer Science 302: Systems Analysis & Design | Study.com |
| Natural Science & Math UL | Computer Science 303: Database Management | Study.com |
| Natural Science & Math UL | Physiological Psychology (PSY-303) | Coopersmith |
| Natural Science & Math UL | Clinical & Exercise Physiology I (SCI-303) | Coopersmith |
| Natural Science & Math UL | Clinical & Exercise Physiology II (SCI-304) | Coopersmith |
Liberal Studies - Psychology Concentration[edit]
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| PSY-211 Developmental Psychology | Psychology 107: Life Span Developmental Psychology or Human Growth & Development |
Study.com or CLEP |
| PSY-350 Abnormal Psychology | PSY-350-TE Abnormal Psychology (RA credits) or Abnormal Psychology (PSY-302) |
TECEP or Coopersmith |
| PSY-379 Social Psychology (6 credits) | Psychology 104: Social Psychology (LL) and TBA |
Study.com and |
| PSY-352 Psychology of Personality or PSY-360 Organizational Theory or PSY-363 Industrial Psychology |
Psychology 310: Psychology of Personality or Business 323: Organizational Theory |
Study.com |
| PSY-400 History and Systems of Psychology | Psychology 312: History and Systems of Psychology | Study.com |
Check the Psychology degree plan page for other UL credit suggestions.
Liberal Studies - Social Sciences Concentration[edit]
30 credits in liberal studies, including 18 credits of Social Sciences (these are courses that fit under the Social Sciences section of the "Knowledge of Human Cultures" category). This includes anthropology, criminal justice, economics, geography, history, organizational behavior, politics, psychology, and sociology.
15 Social Science credits must be UL. 6 credits in the AOS are allowed to be 100 level.
| Course Expected | Recommended Course to Take | Recommended Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Social Science UL | Criminal Justice 305: The Juvenile Justice System | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | History 301: Historiography & Historical Methods | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | History 308: Causes and Effects of the Vietnam War | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | History 311: The Holocaust & World War II | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | History 306: The American Civil War Era | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | Business 323: Organizational Theory | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | Psychology 310: Psychology of Personality | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | Sociology 305: Sociology of Work | Study.com |
| Social Science UL | Sport and Exercise Psychology (PSY-340) | Coopersmith |
| Social Science UL | Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior (PSY-305) | Coopersmith |
| Social Science UL | History and Systems of Psychology (PSY-304) | Coopersmith |
| Social Science UL | Substance Abuse Counseling (PSY-320) | Coopersmith |
| Social Science UL | Family Therapy (PSY-306) | Coopersmith |
| Social Science UL | Abnormal Psychology (PSY-302) | Coopersmith |
| Social Science UL | Physiological Psychology (PSY-303) | Coopersmith |
Liberal Arts Capstone[edit]
Must be taken at TESU. There is an alternative 6-credit capstone available that provides hands-on experience.
Electives[edit]
27 credits required.
See the GE Requirements Roadmap for suggestions.