List of LER courses
List of LER courses with a diversity focus
Transfer credit, proficiency and other options for meeting the LER

The Liberal Education Requirements (LER) are at the core of the university’s mission to prepare students to live in today’s complex, global society. They broaden intellectual perspectives, foster ethical and humanitarian values, and prepare students for responsible citizenship and productive careers. Through this learning experience, students develop the intellectual flexibility they need to adapt to an ever-changing world. LER courses enable students to:

• Acquire critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
• Apply principles of effective written and oral communication
• Broaden their imagination and develop their creativity
• Cultivate their natural curiosity and begin a lifelong pursuit of knowledge
• Develop competencies and values vital to responsible uses of information and technology
• Engage in independent thinking, develop their own voice and vision, and become informed, responsible citizens
• Improve their understanding of issues and behaviors concerning inclusion, community and tolerance
• Increase their awareness of ethical implications of their own and others’ actions
• Integrate their major studies into the broader context of a liberal education
• Strengthen quantitative reasoning skills
• Understand basic concepts of the academic disciplines

Although not every LER course will address all these goals, learning within the LER as a whole enables students to acquire the tools for living rich and meaningful lives in our diverse society.

Guidelines

1. As part of the requirements for any baccalaureate degree, all students must complete at least 36-37 semester hours of Liberal Education Requirements distributed as indicated on the LER Areas and Courses page.
2. Colleges or degree programs may augment the university’s minimum Liberal Education Requirements, and they may specify for their students certain courses in fulfillment of the requirements. It is essential, therefore, that students consult that section of the catalog  for their college and degree program.
3. Liberal Education Requirements should normally be completed within the 60 semester hours that immediately follow the first date of enrollment in a baccalaureate degree program.
4. Courses in the students’ major field will not count toward the completion of any Liberal Education Requirements.
5. Honors equivalents shall satisfy Liberal Education Requirements.
6. None of the courses on the Liberal Education Requirements list may be taken pass/fail.