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Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies

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Learn about your world and develop your passions.

The Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies degree provides student with a broad foundation in specific discipline areas (the humanities, the arts, and the natural and social sciences). Students who earn a Liberal Arts degree encounter different ways of seeing the world and develop the skills to engage in projects and activities that open new avenues for exploration as they focus on the ability to formulate effective arguments, to communicate well and solve problems.

Students are able to choose courses of interest to them in a broad range of electives while also fulfilling general education requirements that will help prepare them for further education or the workplace. The requirements for the A.A. in Liberal Studies are the same for the foundation requirements in the B.A. in Liberal Studies.

Alumni Success Story

Left to right: Drew McDowell of Career and Transfer Services, Scout, and VP of Student AffairsMichael Luciani

Scout MacEachron '12

"I graduated from Landmark feeling as if I had a place in the world and things to contribute. Landmark College changed my life. I wasn't just someone sitting on the sidelines anymore.”

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Left to right: Drew McDowell of Career and Transfer Services, Scout, and VP of Student AffairsMichael Luciani

Learn more about the A.A. in Liberal Studies Degree

  • At Landmark College, faculty teach a range of courses in the Liberal Arts that are both content-rich and skills-focused.

    By providing students with ample opportunities to develop a critical eye, and the reading and writing skills necessary for advanced work, faculty are focused on the learning experience of each student. 

    Students are able to choose courses of interest to them in a broad range of electives, while also fulfilling general education requirements that will help prepare them for further education or the workplace.

  • Students pursuing an A.A. in Liberal Studies may choose to do an internship in any number of areas. Students have had successful experiences in some of the following areas:

    • Education or nonprofit organization
    • Journalism
    • Coaching
    • Real estate
    • Television broadcasting
    • Radio broadcasting
    • Brand writing
    • Sales and marketing

    The College has partnerships with several national, regional, and local companies and organizations that have neurodiverse-friendly hiring programs.

    Students have typically gained work experience either through on campus internships or with the following supportive programs:

    • Broad Futures
    • Dynamy
    • Disability:IN
    • Inventive Labs
    • Neurodiversity Pathways

  • Students can engage in a wide range of activities that relate to and reinforce their Liberal Studies focus, from getting involved in the centers on campus, such as the Stonewall Center or Rise Up Center, to engaging with the art club or service learning opportunities in the local community.

    Liberal Studies students want to be engaged in their communities, and Landmark College provides opportunities to step out of the classroom into direct engagement with groups and activities in Putney and nearby Brattleboro.

  • Students interested in Liberal Studies can consider a huge range of career choices, and those planning to enter the workforce immediately after graduation can explore opportunities in sales, marketing, nonprofit entry-level positions, and fields such as real estate, insurance, or retail operations.

    The Associate of Art in Liberal Studies can provide preparation for the Landmark College B.A. in Liberal Studies.

    The program also offers a strong foundation for many of the other Bachelor of Arts degrees in majors such as Psychology, Studio Arts, and Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership. To help stay on track for those degrees, ask your advisor about choosing a concentration aligned with your bachelor degree interests.

  • To earn the A.A. in Liberal Studies degree, students must complete 61 credits:

    • 43 major required courses
      • 12 major required credits
      • 31 major required credits that also count toward general education,
    • 18 open electives

    Major Requirements: 43 credits

    WRT1011 Composition and Rhetoric (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    WRT1012 Research and Analysis (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    EDU1011 Perspectives in Learning (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    COM1011 Introduction to Communication (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    Mathematics Distribution Requirement (as indicated through placement exam) (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    Humanities Distribution (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    Natural Science with lab (Gen Ed): 4 credits
    Social Sciences Distribution (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    Quantitative Reasoning Distribution (Gen Ed) : 3 credits
    Interpersonal Communication/Creative Expression Distribution (Gen Ed): 3 credits
    Arts Distribution: 3 credits
    Literature Distribution (2000 level): 3 credits
    Natural Science: 3 credits
    Social Science (2000 level): 3 credits

    Open Electives: 18 credits

  • Upon completion of the Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, students should be able to:

    • Think critically, reason soundly, and develop and apply problem-solving strategies across the academic disciplines
    • Recognize when information is needed and have the ability to access, evaluate, and use it effectively and ethically
    • Understand the complexities of multiple communities, including educational, cultural, and geographic, and respect different perspectives and diversity
    • Communicate with clarity, coherence and persuasiveness through written, oral, and other modes of expression
    • Comprehend and apply the methods of scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning
    • Sustain an ongoing process of self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-advocacy that leads to self-understanding and the successful management of the skills and strategies of a lifelong learner
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