Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts

Specialize in a topic that interests you and indicates your specialty to future employers by selecting from a variety of minors. With one of our seven available minors, you become marketable to employers seeking individuals with an online sociology degree, online economics degree, online political science degree, or online anthropology degree in the private, public, academic, and nonprofit sectors, yet you gain the well-rounded education of a liberal arts degree. Because relevant courses apply to both major and minor requirements, a minor can be added without greatly changing your degree plan.

Courses already taken can apply to a minor regardless of when the minor is added to your student record. All minor requirements must be completed prior to graduation.

• Anthropology
• Business Administration
• Economics
• Gerontology
• Media Studies
• Political Science
• Sociology
• How to add a minor to your transcript

Anthropology

Learn about the cross-cultural view of humanity and broadly conceived dimensions of human behavior with an option to focus your studies in anthropology on one or more of the sub-disciplinary divisions such as physical, archaeology, ethnology, or applied anthropology. To earn the minor, you must complete 22 credits from the following courses:

• ANTH 100 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 cr.)
  OR
  ANTH 200 – Cultures and the Global System (3 cr.)
• ANTH 120 – Human Origins and Variation (3 cr.)
• ANTH 121 – Human Origins and Variation Laboratory (1 cr.)
• ANTH 140 – Introduction to Prehistory (3 cr.)
• ANTH 338 – Gender and Anthropology (3 cr.)
• ANTH 412 – Indians of North America (3 cr.)
• ANTH 415 – Indigenous Ecologies and the Modern World (3 cr.)
• ANTH 438 – Approaches to Community-Based Development (3 cr.)
• ANTH 449 – Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (3 cr.)

Business Administration

Gain a basic understanding of the functional areas of business while developing the ability to understand the language of business and apply your new knowledge. To earn this minor, complete 24 credits from the following courses:

• ACT 205 – Fundamentals of Accounting (3 cr.)
• BUS 205 – Legal and Ethical Issues in Business (3 cr.)
• BUS 405A – Contemporary Business Topics: Entrepreneurship (3 cr.)
• ECON 202 – Principles of Microeconomics (3 cr.)
• ECON 204 – Principles of Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
• FIN 305 – Fundamentals of Finance (3 cr.)
• MGT 305 – Fundamentals of Management (3 cr.)
• MKT 305 – Fundamentals of Marketing (3 cr.)

Note: If you add the business administration minor, a minimum of 30 upper-division major credits must be from the College of Liberal Arts.

Economics

Gain insight into and understanding of current socioeconomic problems in the areas of resource allocation, inflation, unemployment, income distribution, environmental degradation, international trade, and monopoly power to prepare for careers in business management, teaching, government, banking, and public policy. To earn the minor, you must complete 21 credits from the following courses:

• ECON 202 – Principles of Microeconomics (3 cr.)
• ECON 204 – Principles of Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
• ECON 240 – Issues in Environmental Economics (3 cr.)
• ECON 304 – Intermediate Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
• ECON 306 – Intermediate Microeconomics (3 cr.)
• ECON 315 – Money and Banking (3 cr.)
• ECON 320 – Economics of Public Finance (3 cr.)
• ECON 335 – Introduction to Econometrics (3 cr.)
• ECON 372 – History of Economic Institutions and Thought (3 cr.)

Gerontology

Prepare for a variety of careers in gerontology with a better understanding of the aging process, including the biological, psychological and social aspects of adult development and aging. Our optional gerontology interdisciplinary minor prepares you to answer the need for qualified and well-trained professionals to support the successful aging of older adults and can be paired with any CSU major.

Required courses

Media Studies

Understand the impacts and roles of mass media in American society and other cultures by focusing on media and film history, criticism, law, ethics, social effects, cultural consequences, as well as multicultural and international media issues. To earn the minor, you must complete 21 credits from the following courses:

Required courses:

• SPCM 100 - Communication and Popular Culture (3 cr.)
• SPCM 349 – Freedom of Speech (3 cr.)

Select any 15 credits from the following:

• SPCM 341 – Evaluating Contemporary Television (3 cr.)
• SPCM 342 – Critical Media Studies (3 cr.)
• SPCM 350 – Evaluating Contemporary Film (3 cr.)
• SPCM 357 – Film and Social Change (3 cr.)
• JTC 316 – Multiculturalism and the Media (3 cr.)
• JTC 350 – Public Relations (3 cr.)
• JTC 355 – Advertising (3 cr.
• JTC 411 – Media Ethics and Issues (3 cr.)
• JTC 413 – New Communication Technologies and Society (3 cr.)

Political Science

Gain a strong foundation in politics and prepare for careers in law, teaching in the social sciences, journalism, and public service. To earn the minor, you must complete 21 credits from the following courses:

Required courses:

• POLS 101 – American Government and Politics (3 cr.)
• POLS 420 – History of Political Thought (3 cr.)

Select six credits from the following:

• POLS 103 – State and Local Government and Politics (3 cr.)
• POLS 232 – International Relations (3 cr.)
• POLS 241 – Comparative Government and Politics (3 cr.)

Select nine credits of upper division classes from the following:

• POLS 302 – U.S. Political Parties and Elections (3 cr.)
• POLS 345 – Russian, Central, and East European Politics (3 cr.)
• POLS 361 – U.S. Environmental Politics and Policy (3 cr.)
• POLS 420 – History of Political Thought (3 cr.)
• POLS 437 – American Security Policy (3 cr.)
• POLS 460 – Public Policy Process (3 cr.)
• POLS 465 – Public Policy Analysis (3 cr.)

Sociology

Develop basic technical skills and the conceptual framework to study human societies. You can choose from a variety of courses that enhance the focus of your liberal arts degree. To earn this minor, complete 21 credits from the following courses:

Required courses:

• SOC 100 – General Sociology (3 cr.)
  OR
  SOC 105 – Social Problems (3 cr.)
• SOC 301 – Development of Sociological Thought (3 cr.)
• SOC 311 – Methods of Sociological Inquiry (3 cr.)

Select any 12 credits from the following:

• SOC 205 – Contemporary Race-Ethnic Relations (3 cr.)
• SOC 313 – Computer Methods in Sociology (1 cr.)
• SOC 330 – Social Stratification (3 cr.)
• SOC 332 – Contemporary Majority-Minority Relations (3 cr.)
• SOC 352 – Criminology (3 cr.)
• SOC 372 – Sociology of Deviance (3 cr.)
• SOC 461 – Water, Society, and Environment (3 cr.)

How to Add a Minor

You must apply and be admitted to the University for the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts degree program before you can add a minor to your student record. While you are not able to add a minor to your student record when you apply for admission, one or more minors may be added after being admitted.

To add a minor, contact our Student Success team at csu_online_questions@mail.colostate.edu including your name, CSUID, and the minor or minors you are requesting. Your request must receive approval from the Department, which will be coordinated by CSU Online staff. Upon approval, you will be notified the minor has been added to your student record.