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 that 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 (38 credit hours).
- Requirements for one of the following: 1) a BLS defined specialization (86 credit hours), or 2) two BLS defined areas of study (43 credit hours for each area).
Special BLS Degree Provisions
- At least 31 credit hours of the last 35 must be earned at the University.
- At least 24 credit hours must be earned in 300-level courses 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 specialization or interdisciplinary areas of study 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 specialization or areas of study.
- 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. A prior learning work-related credit evaluation fee of $100 per course title must be paid by the student at the time of evaluation.
Degree Requirements
BLS General Curriculum Distribution Requirements (GCDR)
One of the following:
A higher level math course may also apply, except 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: (22 credit hours)
| Humanities/Fine Arts | 4 |
| Natural Sciences | 3 |
| Social Sciences | 4 |
| Art/Aesthetic | 3 |
| International Studies | 8 |
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 BIO, PHY or CHE
Social Sciences, Art/Aethestic: any course so designated
International Studies: any courses designated IG or NW
In addition to completing the GCDR, the student must select and complete the requirements of one of the following degree options:
- Specialized BLS
- Interdisciplinary BLS