Bachelor of Arts · 100% online
Liberal Arts
Read widely, think clearly, and write well. A flexible liberal arts degree taught by SVU's own faculty, entirely online and on your schedule.
About the degree
Learn to learn anything.
Liberal arts majors read, study, and investigate the main questions across history, literature, art, philosophy, and the sciences, and become practiced in critical thinking, reasoning, and judgment. You gain an appreciation for the historical and cultural contexts that frame today's world and its problems.
The major is built to be customized. You shape your upper-division study around your own interests, and many students add a minor or a second major. It's strong preparation for careers or graduate study in law, business, medicine, education, public service, the arts, and more.
At a glance
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts with a major in Liberal Arts
- Delivery
- Asynchronous online through Canvas, with no required meeting times
- Major
- 34–35 credit hours: four required areas, 15 upper-division credits, and a senior paper
- Program coordinator
- Scott Dransfield, Professor of English
- Capstone
- LIB 498 Senior Paper
- Graduation GPA
- 2.00 minimum
- Financial aid
- Federal financial aid and VA education benefits can be used to pay for this program
What you'll learn.
Graduates of the Liberal Arts major show:
- Capability in critical and reflective thinking.
- Comprehension of the cultural past and present, by engaging major texts and artworks and grasping a basic history of Western ideas, art, literature, politics, and the major figures, events, and movements.
- The ability to write persuasively and analytically in proper and effective English.
Curriculum
What you'll study
120 credit hours in three parts. Several major courses, such as Art History, Western Civilization, and Western Political Heritage, are also SVU Core options, which leaves more room for electives, a minor, or a second major.
SVU Core
The shared foundation of an SVU education: a first-year seminar, writing, philosophy and literature, the American republic, civilizations, mathematics, life and physical science with a lab, language and culture, fine arts, social science, and health.
Liberal Arts major
Required areas in the arts, literature, civilization, and reasoning; 15 upper-division credits across three disciplines; and a senior paper.
Electives
The rest of your 120 credits: explore other interests, or add a minor or a second major.
Required areas · 18–19 hours
History of the Arts · 6 hours
Take two.
- ART 210 Art History I · 3 credits
- ART 215 Art History II · 3 credits
- HUM 210 Arts in Western Civilization I · 3 credits
- HUM 215 Arts in Western Civilization II · 3 credits
- MUS 215 Music in Civilization · 3 credits
- THE 215 Introduction to Theatre History · 3 credits
Literature · 3 hours
Take one.
- ENG 230 British Literature I · 3 credits
- ENG 240 British Literature II · 3 credits
- SPN 330 Introduction to Spanish Literature · 3 credits
Civilization · 6 hours
Take two.
- HIS 210 Western Civilization I · 3 credits
- HIS 215 Western Civilization II · 3 credits
- PHI 210 History of Philosophy I · 3 credits
- PHI 215 History of Philosophy II · 3 credits
- POL 210 Western Political Heritage I · 3 credits
- POL 215 Western Political Heritage II · 3 credits
Logic or Quantitative Reasoning · 3–4 hours
Take one, beyond the course you use for the SVU Core mathematics requirement.
- MAT 106 Mathematics for the Liberal Arts · 3 credits
- MAT 221 Statistics · 3 credits
- MAT 241 Calculus I · 4 credits
- PHI 223 Introduction to Logic · 3 credits
Select a course to read its description.
Upper-division electives · 15 hours
Complete 15 credit hours of 300- or 400-level courses from three of these disciplines: art, biology, chemistry, economics, English, history, humanities, mathematics, music, philosophy, physics, politics, Spanish, or theater. Music ensembles and lessons, internships, and practicums don't count toward these 15 hours.
Select a course to read its description.
Senior paper
A senior paper on one or more disciplines within the major. Your topic and faculty supervisor are approved by the program coordinator.
Senior Paper · 1 hour
- LIB 498 Senior Paper: Liberal Arts · 1 credit
Select a course to read its description.
SVU Core requirements
| Requirement | Course options | Credits | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knight Academy | SVU 101 | 1 | Freshman year |
| Freshman Writing | WRI 120 | 3 | Freshman year |
| Philosophy | LIB 110 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| American Republic | LIB 120 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Literature | LIB 130 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Civilization I | ART 210, HIS 210, HIS 260, HUM 210, PHI 210, or POL 210 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Civilization II | ART 215, HIS 215, HUM 215, MUS 215, PHI 215, POL 215, or THE 215 | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Mathematics | MAT 106, 114, 115, 221, 241, or 242; CSC 120; or PHI 223 | 3–4 | By sophomore year |
| Life Science | BIO 114, 126, 201, or 212 | 3–4 | By sophomore year |
| Physical Science | CHE 114 or 201; PHY 114, 117, 126, or 201 | 3–4 | By sophomore year |
| Culture and Language 1 | HUM 235R or a foreign language course (or an approved equivalency exam) | 3 | By sophomore year |
| Culture and Language 2 | HUM 235R or a foreign language course (or an approved equivalency exam) | 3 | Any year |
| Fine Arts | ART 120, 121, or 263; ENG 220; MUS 108, 129R, 139R, 221, 256R, 259R, 275R, or 350R; THE 110, 206, or 230R/330R | 3 | Any year |
| Social Sciences | ECN 210; EDU 200 or 250; FHD 210 or 250; POL 203 or 223; or PSY 105 | 3 | Any year |
| Health and Wellness | PER 143, or 2 credits of activity courses | 2 | Any year |
| Advanced Writing | WRI 320 | 3 | By the end of junior year |
One of the two science courses must include a lab; BIO 126, PHY 117, and PHY 126 have no lab. The ensemble courses MUS 221, 256R, 259R, 275R, 350R and THE 230R/330R need two semesters of the same ensemble to fill Fine Arts. PER 203 First Aid doesn't count as an activity course.
Getting started
How your first semesters work
Every bachelor's student starts with the same core classes in the first few semesters, along with a few introductory classes related to their major.
Apply and enroll
Once you're admitted and enrolled, we place you in your first semester of classes, so you don't have to build a schedule on your own.
Make changes if you need to
Look over the classes you've been assigned. If something doesn't work for you, you can make changes.
Keep building your foundation
Your first few semesters are mostly the same core classes every SVU student takes, plus a few introductory classes in your major.
Transferring in credit?
If you're a transfer student, you'll choose the classes that make sense for you, and you'll work with an advisor to plan the rest of your degree.
Graduation requirements
To earn your Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, you must:
- Complete at least 120 credit hours, with at least 60 credits, or your last 30 credits before graduation, at Southern Virginia University. No more than 9 credits of internship courses count.
- Complete all requirements of the SVU Core.
- Complete all requirements of at least one major.
- Earn a minimum 2.00 GPA on all coursework taken at the university.
- Comply with all university standards, regulations, and procedures from matriculation through graduation.
How you'll learn
Your professor, personally.
SVU courses are taught through the Asynchronous Video Learning Model, designed to keep the teacher at the center of the experience.
Watch how it works
Lessons, presentations, and feedback are all recorded and submitted, so everyone takes part on their own schedule.
Read the video transcript
- How SVU Online works: online, but never anonymous.
- The professor creates videos to teach and demonstrate the subject matter.
- You watch it on your own schedule.
- You record your own video presentation and submit it.
- Your professor watches when it suits them.
- Your professor records personalized video feedback.
- You watch feedback made just for you.
- Teaching assistants record personalized video posts, too.
- They keep in touch with you throughout the course.
- You record a video post for your classmates.
- They watch and respond on their own time.
- Your classmate records a reply.
- You get to know each other through video.
- SVU Online, Southern Virginia University.
Watch
Your professor teaches through recorded, highly structured lessons.
Present
You record and submit video presentations, practicing what you are learning out loud.
Be seen
Your professor often responds to critical work with personalized, learning-centered feedback in video format. Teaching assistants also send personalized video posts to continually stay in touch with students.
Learn together
You exchange video responses with classmates, so discussion stays human.
Your first semester includes SVU 101, where you learn the tools and habits of successful online study: the Canvas learning platform, the online library, and the assessment tools your courses use.
What you'll need
The basics for learning on video.
Your courses are recorded and submitted online, so you will need a few basics.
A computer
A laptop or desktop computer. At a minimum, a tablet.
A camera
An embedded camera or an external webcam, for recording video assignments and video feedback to other students.
Screen recording
The ability to record your screen (a screencast) for some assignments.
Support
You won't be doing this alone.
Library
Online students have the same access as on-campus students to the Von Canon Library: electronic databases, interlibrary loan, and reference services through SVU single sign-on.
A team behind every course
The Office of Online Operations supports students and faculty, and every course has teaching assistants and instructional support staff working alongside your professor.
Accessibility
Students with disabilities can request accommodations through SVU's Accommodation Request Form, and the same accommodation process applies to online courses.
Enrollment
From application to your first class
The steps from applying to starting your first semester.
- Apply
- Receive access to submit forms for the application process
- Receive acceptance confirmation
- Pay deposit
- Receive registration confirmation
- Select classes for the semester
- Start learning as the semester starts
Admissions
Who can apply
- First-year applicants are expected to have a 2.5 grade point average at any high school previously attended.
- Homeschooled students can submit homeschool transcripts or a portfolio of schoolwork showing variety and depth of study.
- Students who begin before finishing high school show evidence of readiness in writing and mathematics.
- Applicants who do not meet the minimum academic standard may be considered for provisional admission following further review and an interview.
- Students with prior college credit have it evaluated under SVU's standard transfer credit policy.
Cost
Tuition
$348 per credit hour.
Federal financial aid and VA benefits can be used
Eligible students can use federal financial aid, such as Federal Pell Grants and Federal Direct Loans, to pay for tuition in this program. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see what you qualify for.
Eligible veterans, service members, and family members can also use VA education benefits, such as the GI Bill, to help pay for this program.
Questions? Talk with an Admissions Counselor.
Start your application, or talk with our team about whether this program is the right fit.
Apply Now