Individualized Major (BA)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2026-Spring 2027 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Arts Individualized Major
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department: Individualized Studies
Academic Plan Code(s): LBSTBA

Program Information

The Individualized Major (formerly Liberal Studies) program offers eligible students an opportunity to design an individualized major, through a multi-disciplinary curriculum.  Once the student has identified a goal or interest, the Individualized Major Program advisor offers guidance in creating a personalized degree program.

Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the program's Learning Outcomes Measurement.

Degree Summary

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Departmental Admission Requirements

Eligibility criteria and information regarding admission into the major may be found on the Individualized Major website.

Requirements include the completion of 45 credit hours and a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average on all college work.  Proposals must be approved by the program director prior to admission into the major.

General Education Requirements

All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

At least 50 of the total minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or above with at least six credit hours in each of two of the three Divisions of the College of Arts & Sciences. 

¹

Completion of the intermediate level of a single foreign language.

²

May be incorporated into other degree requirements.

³

Fulfills one WR requirement.

⁴

General Education courses may not be counted in the concentrations, except in cases where a General Education requirement course is a departmental requirement for completion of the minor.

⁵

Students identifying Middle Grades Education as their goal may substitute a state-approved “Teaching Field” for the department minor. If two teaching fields are selected, a third concentration is unnecessary. See program advisor for additional information.

⁶

Students pursuing an Individualized Major may include course credits from University of Louisville units outside the College of Arts and Sciences.  These include the College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, Brandeis School of Law, School of Music, School of Nursing, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and the Kent School of Social Work.  No more than 30 hours earned outside the College of Arts and Sciences may be applied to the Individualized Major.

Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "What-if Advisement Report."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report or create a What-if report.

You will need 45 completed college credit hours and a cumulative GPA of 2.0. There is no application window — you begin whenever you are ready by emailing the program advisor. Admission to the major is a separate step from admission to the University of Louisville.

You choose your areas of concentration and combine them into a single, unified course of study, with one area satisfied by an approved College of Arts & Sciences minor. You then write a proposal explaining what you are building and why. The program advisor works with you on the curriculum plan before anything is finalized. 

Yes. You can draw on coursework from other UofL colleges, including Business, Education and Human Development, and the Speed School of Engineering. There is a cap on how many outside hours count toward the degree, and your advisor will keep you within it.

A minimum of 500 words; most run two to three pages double-spaced. It is a personal statement covering your background and interests, the goal your major is built around, which departments you are drawing from and how they connect, and where you are headed afterward. The University Writing Center can review your draft.

Often better than a traditional major does. Completed concentrations of college-level coursework can be brought in even where there is no equivalent course at UofL — so work you have already done can count toward a major built around it.

Matt Church, the program advisor, at matthew.church@louisville.edu. Start there with any question. You do not need a finished idea to send the first email.