Enrollment in a combined program allows highly qualified, Empire State University students to work on the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies while completing the bachelor’s degree. Up to 12 credits of designated master’s courses are incorporated into the bachelor’s degree program and will count toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

The Pathways

Qualified SUNY Empire undergraduates may pursue the following combined degree pathways:

• B.A. or B.S. in Historical Studies to M.A. in Liberal Studies
• B.A. or B.S. in Cultural Studies to M.A. in Liberal Studies
• B.A. or B.S. in The Arts to M.A. in Liberal Studies

ADMISSION

Admission into the combined programs is highly selective. To be considered for admission into a combined pathway, applicants must complete an undergraduate application and meet the following requirements:

• Minimum 3.2 GPA (recalculation of up to the last 60 credits earned); and
• Transferring no more than 92 credits at the time of application.

In addition to the above, to be offered for official admission¹ candidates must have completed 60 or more undergraduate credits.

Please see the Undergraduate Admission page for a complete listing of materials required to complete an undergraduate application.

¹

Candidates who have less than 60 undergraduate credits can be accepted conditionally. To become officially admitted, conditional admits must maintain a minimum 3.2 GPA until they have 60 credits. Candidates who do not meet the requirements will be dismissed from the combined pathway and allowed to complete the bachelor's portion.

Curriculum

The combined pathway requires 142 total credits of which 30 are master's credits leading to the M.A. in Liberal Studies. Students complete 12 credits of graduate coursework as undergraduate students that count toward both the 124 credits required for the B.A./B.S. degree and the 30 credits required for the M.A. degree. Students must meet all college, AOS and relevant concentration guidelines. Once the undergraduate degree has been awarded, the student may begin the remaining 18 credits required for the graduate M.A. in Liberal Studies degree. Students must meet master’s expectations for academic progress and grade point average in their master’s level courses to remain in the combined program.

Combined Pathway Courses

The four graduate courses that will be taken during undergraduate study are listed below. Short 2-3 day virtual residencies are also required during graduate liberal studies. The remaining courses required to complete the graduate degree, can be found on the MA in Liberal Studies page of this catalog, under the Program Requirements tab.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
LACS 6005	Foundations of Liberal Studies	3
LACS 6010	Interdisciplinary Learning Design	3
LACS 6015	Exploring your Field: The Academic Literature Review	3
Models of Critical Inquiry (Choose one):		3
LACS 6020	Models of Critical Inquiry: Art Aesthetics & the Body
LACS 6025	Models of Critical Inquiry: Landscapes of Learning
LACS 6027	Models of Critical Inquiry: How We Know
LACS 6030	Models of Critical Inquiry: Relationships to the Past - History & Culture
LACS 6035	Models of Critical Inquiry: Science & Society
Total Credits		12