College of Liberal Studies

The college houses Anthropology, Economics, English, History, Languages & Literatures, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Sociology & Criminal Justice, and the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. The Individualized Major and interdisciplinary programs including Chinese Studies, Gender, Sexuality & Race Studies, Global Studies, Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Native American & Indigenous Studies, Publishing & Printing Arts, and STEM Education minor also reside in the college.

Programs in the College of Liberal Studies engage students in the critical study of human existence and social systems across diverse cultures, time periods, and environments using a range of academic tools and methods.

Our Departments

Gender, Sexuality and Race Studies

Women protesting their rights and holding signs

Holocaust and Genocide Studies

A fence with the words "Arbeit Macht Frei" in Auschwitz, Germany

Individualized Major

A student leaning down and gardening

Interdisciplinary Programs

PLU monument

Languages & Literatures

A student holding a pen and writing Chinese characters on a journal

Master of Fine Arts

A group of students inside the Rainer Writing Workshop class

Native American & Indigenous Studies

Indigenous people wearing different head gear

Political Science

The legislative building in Olympia, WA

Sociology and Criminal Justice

Panel made up of Social Science graduates talking about careers in their fields in the Scandinavian Center at PLU on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014. (PLU Photo/John Froschauer)