Bachelor of Liberal Studies

The Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) degree is for students who are interested in a broad, liberal arts education to complement their life experiences and for those students who find the traditional university degree does not meet their specific needs. The BLS degree offers students considerable flexibility to apply credit earned at other accredited colleges and universities and from work-related experience. To be awarded the BLS degree, the student must earn at least 124 credit hours, which are comprised of the following:

• BLS General Curriculum Distribution requirements.
• Requirements for one BLS defined concentration
• General electives.

BLS Degree Provisions

• At least 31 credit hours of the last 35 must be earned at the University and at least 15 of these credit hours must be earned in the selected concentration.

• At least 24 credit hours must be earned in 300-level courses or higher. At least 16 of the concentration credit hours must be earned in courses at the 300-level or higher.
• Students in the BLS degree program may not elect a minor.
• General Curriculum Distribution requirements for the BLS degree are specific to this degree and do not apply to other degree programs at the University.
• Courses used to satisfy the General Curriculum Distribution requirements cannot be used to also satisfy requirements of the student’s chosen concentration but may be used to satisfy course prerequisites.
• The General Curriculum Distribution requirements need not be completed before the student begins courses in the chosen concentration.
• Students must satisfy the University’s “writing intensive” requirement. See the UT Academic Experience chapter of this catalog for more details.
• For students pursuing the BLS degree, a special provision allows for credit from experiential learning. In addition to earning credit through testing programs such as CLEP and DANTES, students can earn a maximum of 10 credit hours for verifiable expertise gained from current or previous work-related experiences. Such experience must parallel the content in existing University of Tampa courses. Academic credit for work-related experience may be applied to any part of the BLS degree, except the General Curriculum Distribution requirements. Students seeking prior learning credit for work-related experience should contact the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies to learn about the process for applying for the credit.

Degree Requirements

BLS General Curriculum Distribution Requirements (GCDR)

AWR 101	Writing and Inquiry	4
AWR 201	Writing and Research	4

One of the following:

PHL 201	Logic	4
PHL 212	Critical Thinking	4
MAT 155	Finite Mathematics for Liberal Arts	4
MAT 160	College Algebra	4

A higher level math course may also apply, except MAT 180 College Geometry or MAT 201 Introduction to Statistics, which is not accepted in the GCDR.

One of the following:

SPE 200	Oral Communication	4
SPE 208	Speech for Business and the Professions	4

Liberal Studies courses:

	Art/Aesthetic	3
	Humanities/Fine Arts	4
	International Studies	8
	Natural Sciences	3
	Social Sciences	4

Humanities/Fine Arts: any course so designated; studio courses are limited to 2 credit hours

Natural Sciences: any course, with or without a laboratory, designated as a biological, chemical or physical science

Social Sciences, Art/Aesthetic: any course so designated

International Studies: any courses designated IG or NW