The AVAILABLE Tracks in Liberal Studies are:

• General Track, ("The Green Guide")
• The Integrated Track ("The Grey Guide")
• Spanish Studies Track ("The Yellow Guide")
• Arts & Letters Track ("The Blue Guide")

In some tracks, students must complete a 16-18 unit concentration. Click here to look at and compare all the concentrations and to find a list of approved courses in each concentration.

Teachers at the elementary level will be in demand in the up coming years and will continue to play a vital role in society with both national awareness of the importance of education and classroom enrollments steadily increasing. In California, those of you who wish to be elementary teachers satisfy subject matter competency by passing the California Subject Examination for Teachers - Multiple Subject (CSET-MS). The Liberal Studies major is specifically designed to match the standards for what is taught in the elementary school and that are tested on the CSET-MS. The Liberal Studies major satisfies the Senate Bill 2042 requirements for Elementary Subject Matter programs designed by the California Commission of Teacher Credentialing at http://www.ctc.ca.gov/. The Liberal Studies major provides the following three pathways to teaching:

#1 - The General Track

(Pre-credential Bachelor of Arts Degree only)

The General Track leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and is designed for students who plan to become elementary, K-8 school teachers. This track meets all prerequisites for entering the Multiple Subject (CLAD) credential program. It also meets all requirements in preparation for the CSET-MS exam. This track requires a minimum of 180 quarter units to graduate with your degree (green.pdf)

• 75 units of the general track are drawn from the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Natural Science;
  
  
• 82 units of the general track meet the General Education requirements;
  
  

• 16-18 units of the general track will be in an academic concentration of your choice;
  

• Concentration - Standard 3 of the Subject Matter Requirement for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential requires a depth of study. The program offers a set of concentrations each of which relates directly to one or more of the major subject areas of study. You will need to select and complete a concentration in order to develop a strong understanding of the conceptual foundations of the subject as well as an understanding of how knowledge is created and organized in the subject.

  For the listing of all suggested Fields of Concentrations see: concentrations.
  

• 7 units of the general track will be electives.

The basic program includes courses in the following areas of study:

• Reading, Language and Literature - 28 units;
  
• History and Social Sciences - 28 units;
  
• Mathematics - 18 units;
  
• Natural Sciences - 22 units;
  
• Visual and Performing Arts - 13 units;
  
• Physical Education and Health - 10 units;
  
• Human Development - 10 units;
  
• General Education - 20 units;
  
• Liberal Studies Assessment - 8 units.

Once you are admitted to CSUSB, you should visit the Peer Advising for Liberal Studies (PALS) Center in Pfau Library, Room 241 or call (909) 537-5482 for further assistance and advisement on this track.

#2 - The Integrated Tack

(Combined Bachelor of Arts and Multiple Subject Credential)

The Integrated Track leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies AND a Multiple Subject Credential. It is designed for students who plan to become elementary, K-8, school teachers AND who want to save time (27 units or about two quarters) by working on the credential preparation along with your B.A. degree. This track meets all requirements in preparation for the CSET-MS exam and for the Multiple Subject credential program. This track requires a minimum of 201 quarter units to graduate with your degree AND your credential. It can be completed in four years and one summer session. After finishing this track, you will have completed all teaching methods course work and student teaching and you will be fully qualified and able to be employed as a K-8 teacher. See full curriculum requirements at: Integrated Track (PDF)

• 75 units of the Integrated Track are drawn from the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Natural Sciences;
  
  
• 78 units of the Integrated Track meet the General Education requirements;
  
  
• 48 units of the integrated track meet the Multiple Subject (CLAD) Credential.

The basic program includes courses in the following areas of study:

• Reading, Language and Literature - 24 units;
  
• History and Social Sciences - 28 units;
  
• Mathematics - 18 units;
  
• Natural Sciences - 22 units;
  
• Visual and Performing Arts - 13 units;
  
• Physical Education and Health - 10 units;
  
• Human Development - 18 units;
  
• General Education - 12 units;
  
• Phase I of the Multiple Subject Credential Program - 15 units;
  
• Phase II of the Multiple Subject Credential Program - 17 units;
  
• Phase III of the Multiple Subject Credential Program - 16 units.

Once you are admitted to CSUSB, you should visit the Peer Advising for Liberal Studies (PALS) Center in Pfau Library, Room 241 or call (909) 537-5482 for further assistance and advisement on this track.

#3 - The Spanish Studies Track

The Spanish Studies Track leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and is designed for students who plan to become elementary, K-8, school teachers but who may wish to teach in a dual immersion (bilingual) classroom. This track meets all prerequisites for entering the Multiple Subject (BCLAD) credential program. It also meets all requirements in preparation for the CSET-MS exam. This track requires a minimum of 180 quarter units to graduate with your degree: yellow.pdf. The World Languages Challenge Policy for Spanish courses is located here.

• 75 units of the Spanish studies track are drawn from the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Social and Behavioral Sciences and Natural Sciences;
  
  
• 82 units of the Spanish studies track meet the General Education requirements;
  
  
• 21 units of the Spanish studies track are in Spanish studies;
  
  
• 2 units of the Spanish studies track are electives.

The basic program includes courses in the following areas of study:

• Reading, Language and Literature - 28 units;
  
• History and Social Sciences - 28 units;
  
• Mathematics - 18 units;
  
• Natural Sciences - 22 units;
  
• Visual and Performing Arts - 13 units;
  
• Physical Education and Health - 10 units;
  
• Human Development - 10 units;
  
• General Education - 20 units;
  
• Liberal Studies Assessment - 8 units;
  
• Spanish Studies - 21 units.

Once you are admitted to CSUSB, you should visit the Peer Advising for Liberal Studies (PALS) Center in Pfau Library, Room 241 or call (909) 537-5482 for further assistance and advisement on this track.

#4 -ARTS AND LETTERS TRACK

This is an interdisciplinary track that provides breadth of knowledge and allows the student a good deal of flexibility to choose courses in a wide variety of disciplines, while also ensuring some content focus and skill development. This track is designed to be a broad major that would be useful and appealing for those who want a non-specialized degree for their own personal purposes or because they seek employment or advancement in jobs that only require a college degree in any subject for employment or promotion. Some students would find this program useful as a stepping-stone to more advanced work at the graduate level; and this program could be excellent preparation for some professional schools or master's degrees which require just a few undergraduate prerequisites that could be done as part of a minor and/or the interdisciplinary concentration.

The Arts and Letters Track is not intended for those planning to become teachers and it does not provide all the subject matter knowledge and content required to pass the CSET. The 78-82 units of all-university General Education program course requirements are entirely separate from this liberal track and are the same as for all CSUSB majors.

Summary of Requirements for Arts & Letters Track

1. Arts and Letters Interdisciplinary Focus: 36 units

36 units required with minimum of 18 units at the 300-level or above to be selected from the courses listed under one of the following concentrations. No more that 20 units may be taken from any one discipline.


a. Arts (Art, Music, Theatre, Dance)
b. Literature (English, World Languages and Literature)
c. Language and linguistics
d. Media Arts (Communication, Music, Graphic Design)
e. Humanities - must include courses from a minimum of three departments (Philosophy, English, World Languages and Literatures, History and Theory of one of the Arts and Communication)

2. Skills Requirement: 12 units

4 units required from each of the following three categories:

a. Communication Skills - (Advanced written and oral communication)
b. Computer Skills - (Using Software)
c. Research Techniques Skills - (Statistics)

3. Minor Field: 24 units (minimum)

24 units (minimum) in an approved minor field outside of the Arts and Letters Concentration, which must include a minimum of 16 units at the 300-level or above.

4. Culminating Experience: 5 units

a. Humanities 497 - Senior Assessment (1unit) to be taken within the last two quarters before graduating.
b. Independent Study Project (4 units) must be completed in one of the disciplines used for the concentration #1 or minor #3 areas.

5. Free Electives: if needed, to reach the minimum of 180 total units required for the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Note: A list of courses approved and recommended for each of these above concentration areas will be available from the Liberal Studies Office soon. Courses used by the students to meet university General Education program requirements may not be used again in the concentration.