- UNM 2016-2017 Catalog
- >Colleges
- >University College
- >Bachelor of Liberal Arts
Tracy John Skipp, Ed.D., Associate Dean
Liberal Arts and Integrative Studies (LAIS)
University Advisement and Enrichment Center, Suite 180
MSC06 3680
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-0122
The faculty of The University of New Mexico offers the degree of Bachelor of Liberal Arts (B.L.A.). This program, approved in 2013, was formerly known as the Bachelor of University Studies degree established in 1969, and is administered through University College.
This baccalaureate degree program provides the opportunity for students to develop a unique program of study combining courses from three or more University of New Mexico departments and/or colleges. With the help of a Liberal Arts and Integrative Studies (LAIS) advisor, students structure a comprehensive plan of study, which is thematically based and multidisciplinary in nature. The B.L.A. degree also enables students who have obtained an associate degree at an accredited community college to complete a bachelor’s degree at UNM. The B.L.A. degree is not intended for the undecided student, and it may not be part of a double major. However, it may be used as a dual or second degree. Liberal Arts is a major only, and while no official minor is required to be declared with this major, the use of an existing departmental minor is encouraged.
Strict compliance with B.L.A. requirements is mandatory for admission to and continuation in the program. Changes to approved plans of study may be made only in consultation with an advisor. Students in the Liberal Arts program must meet the general academic regulations of the University for admission, academic standing, and graduation found under the University Catalog headings of Admissions and Undergraduate Programs. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with both the specific and general current academic regulations. Students who have not been continuously enrolled for three consecutive terms must follow the requirements of the current University of New Mexico Catalog upon readmission.
Questions regarding any aspect of the program should be addressed to an advisor in the LAIS office.
Credit toward a degree is given for:
Credit toward a degree is not given for:
Admission to the Liberal Arts program for a current term must take place before the end of the third week of classes. After that deadline, admission will be for the following term (Fall, Spring or Summer). Please see an advisor for more information on LAIS admission requirements and for details on designing a Plan of Study.
Minimum requirements to transfer into the Liberal Arts program are as follows:
Demonstrated competence in the writing of English as evidenced by one of the following:
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher.
Twenty-six or more earned credit hours applicable to this program.
Application to the Liberal Arts program includes a preliminary advisement session with an LAIS Academic Advisor. The meeting is the students' opportunity to discuss their ideas and goals for their degrees, and ask any questions they may have before admission to the program.
In order to apply to the Liberal Arts program, students must submit the following to an LAIS Advisor:
A student must see an Advisor in the LAIS office to apply for graduation one year prior to that in which graduation is planned. An “apply to graduate” hold appears on the student’s account once the student has earned 100 credit hours as a reminder of this requirement. At this time, the student and the Advisor view a LoboTrax degree audit specifying the work remaining to be completed for graduation. It should be noted that students are solely responsible for knowing and completing all requirements for graduation from the Liberal Arts program. Students must know how to run and read their LoboTrax Degree Audits in order to check progress to graduation. Students should run and save (or print) an audit each time a change is made to their schedule as audits are not saved in LoboWeb.
In addition to adherence to approved plans of study, specific graduation requirements are as follows:
The Bachelor of Liberal Arts/Master of Public Administration Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program offers Bachelor of Liberal Arts students an accelerated route to earning both B.L.A. and M.P.A. degrees. The Program allows students to earn graduate credit (i.e., M.P.A. 500-level courses) during their senior academic year, thereby reducing time needed to complete both degrees.
Through the B.L.A./M.P.A. Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program, students complete a minimum of 120 credit hours for the B.L.A. and 42 credit hours for the M.P.A.
A B.L.A. degree from the University College requires satisfactory completion of College and University requirements. Upon completing all undergraduate requirements, including a minimum of 120 credit hours, the student receives a B.L.A. degree.
The M.P.A. requires a minimum of 42 credit hours.
The unique feature of the B.L.A./M.P.A. Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program is that M.P.A. 500-level courses may be taken during the senior year of a student's B.L.A. degree program. Thus, time needed to complete both the B.L.A. and M.P.A. degrees is reduced by approximately one academic year.
For specific information regarding Program admission, progression, and completion, refer to the School of Public Administration - Graduate Program section of this Catalog.
A separate departmental honors designation is not available for a B.L.A. degree. However, students meeting all requirements may receive baccalaureate honors as specified in the Undergraduate Program section of this Catalog.
LAIS 150. Foundations of Integrative Thought. (3)
LAIS 309. Topics in Integrative Studies. (1-3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
LAIS 310. Investigations in Research: Methodologies and Techniques. (3)
LAIS 311. Experiential Research. (3)
LAIS 399. Interdisciplinary Synthesis. (1 to a maximum of 3 Δ)
LAIS 409. Individual Study. (1-3 to a maximum of 15 Δ)
LAIS 499. Senior Seminar. (3)
MSC 11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
(505) 277-8900
Phone: (505) 277-6809
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