Liberal Studies at Longwood

Every academic major at Longwood is built on our strong, goal-oriented, General Education program.  Upon that, the Liberal Studies major expands to include a broad base of intellectual inquiry, primarily through four disciplines in the arts and sciences:

 

Mathematics
Science
English and Language
Social Science
Some tracks also include Fine Arts and Kinesiology. 

In addition to the core courses of the Liberal Studies major, you will choose one of the following professional tracks:

Elementary School Teaching
Middle School Teaching
Elementary and Middle School Teaching
Special Education
Minor in an Arts & Sciences Discipline

In addition to the program being offered on the Farmville campus, the LS major is offered at the NCI in Martinsville and at VCCS in Emporia.  Students taking classes at those sites may select only the elementary school teaching track. 

In the Real World

As a Liberal Studies major at Longwood you may choose one of the teacher-licensure tracks.  Each track includes a rich array of field experiences: the practicum (two opportunities); the partnership semester; and the student teaching semester.  With each of these experiences, you will spend most of your time participating as pre-service teachers in the real classrooms, working with practicing teachers and getting to know real students and their learning habits and challenges.  By the time  you begin y our first teaching position, you will know the real world of teaching very well, and you will be ready to hit the ground running.

If you choose not to pursue teaching, you will find that your Liberal Studies major plus your arts and sciences minor and two interdisciplinary capstone courses will provide a solid foundation and valuable skills for a wide variety of professions.  The MBAdvantage masters program is an attractive option for students on this track.

Faculty

Great teaching is a priority at Longwood.  Here you'll be taught by experienced professors - not graduate assistants - who care deeply about helping you maximize your potential.

The faculty teaching Liberal Studies major courses are members of the disciplinary departments who participate in the LS major.  The members of LS faculty change from semester to semester, adding diversity and richness to the program.

Students

Liberal Studies students are among the most interesting, achievement-oriented, disciplined and respected students on campus.  Faculty love having you in our classes and many of you find your names on the Dean's List each semester.  Come to Longwood University prepared to be a standard setter on campus and a model citizen leader for the future - yours and others'.

Highlights of Liberal Studies at Longwood

While Liberal Studies is the largest major at Longwood, you will have many opportunities to get to know other Liberal Studies majors, first through the freshman seminar and then through the activity-oriented courses that are part of the curriculum.  Many courses require significant collaboration on assignments, and by the time you are a senior, you will have developed many valuable life-long professional friendships.

The field experiences are among the opportunities for international study for Liberal Studies students on the teacher preparation tracks.

"I recently did a Practicum in Volos, Greece where I had the opportunity to teach lessons in several Greek elementary schools.  I am so grateful to be able to see the way a different culture's educational system works.  I will be able to bring some of their approaches to my own teaching career, which will enrich the education that I provide for my own students once I graduate."  Tess Paterson, Liberal Studies Major, Elementary Education concentration.

Students on the middle-school science-teaching track can choose a course called "Tropical Ecology" that meets for two weeks, usually during the summer, in South or Central America.  This provides an opportunity to do collaborative research with Longwood faculty.

All Longwood students take an advanced writing course during the junior or senior year.  One of the options for the course includes a two-week residency in Yellowstone Park in May.