College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > Academics > Islamic World Studies > Student Resources > Advising > Liberal Studies Program

Liberal Studies Program

Yes, unless you have fulfilled one of the following four equivalents:

  • taken calculus (MATH 147, or 150, or 160, or 170, or BMS 125); 
  • earned a passing grade in an equivalent course at another institution; 
  • passed the Quantitative Reasoning and Technological Literacy I (QRTL I) test (a proctored exam, which cannot be taken off-site); or
  • received Advanced Placement credit for calculus.

The only students for whom LSP 120 or one of these equivalents is not required are those who are required to take a calculus sequence for their majors.  For more information regarding the Quantitative Reasoning and Technological Literacy I (QRTL I) test, please visit the Quantitative Reasoning Center website.

Yes, you must take LSP 121, UNLESS one of the following situations applies to you:

  • You are an Honors student (for Honors students, LSP 180 replaces LSP 121);
  • You are required to take a calculus sequence for your primary major (NOTE: Students cannot substitute calculus or any other courses for LSP 121 by choice; the calculus sequence must be required by their major to substitute for LSP 121 (or LSP 180, for Honors students); or
  • You transferred to DePaul with the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) curriculum.

There is an equivalency test for LSP 121 that students can take, but unless they have a fairly advanced background in computer programming, they are unlikely to "pass out" of LSP 121. For more information on the QRTL II (LSP 121) equivalency exam, please go to the Quantitative Reasoning Center (click on "placement", then click "LSP 121" tab. Use the link labeled "LSP 121 Placement Exam Study Guide.")

PLEASE NOTE: Non-Honors students who take both LSP 120 and LSP 121 may "waive" one of their Liberal Studies program Learning Domain courses OTHER THAN the Scientific Inquiry: Lab course. Please note, however, that all students must take at least one course in each Learning Domain. So, for example, a student who is using a Modern Language Option course as a substitute for one of the two "Philosophical Inquiry" domain courses cannot also use the LSP 121 waiver to substitute for the other required course in that domain.

Yes, all students are required to take LSP 200.

All students must take some kind of Junior Year Experiential Learning (JYEL) course as a degree requirement. Students can fulfill this requirement in a number of ways, including through the following:

  • A community-based service learning course;
  • Another JYEL-eligible course offered through a university department;
  • Approved off-campus foreign or domestic study program;
  • An internship or co-op arrangement, combined with a linked DePaul course (see additional information about this option in the questions below).

Note: You can identify specific JYEL-eligible courses offered each quarter through the Campus Connect enrollment system. (Set the filter in the "Liberal Studies Requirement" field to "Junior Year Experiential Learning.")

Students are encouraged to fulfill their JYEL requirement during their junior year, but some students may complete this requirement in the sophomore or senior year. Please speak with your advisor about the best options for you. Visit the Junior Year Experiential Learning site for further information.

Yes, but using the same course to satisfy requirements for both the major and the Experiential Learning component of the Liberal Studies program will require you to complete an extra Liberal Studies domain elective in a department outside the IWS Program.
Students who wish to register for the Liberal Studies Internship (LSP 250, 251, 252, or 350) should first contact the Career Center in advance of the quarter during which they plan to perform the internship, so that preparatory skills for site placement can be obtained.
Students should contact the Career Center with these questions. The Career Center's phone numbers are: Loop: (312) 362-8437; Lincoln Park: (773) 325-7431. For additional information visit the Career Center website.
Students are required to take a Liberal Studies capstone course in their major field during their senior year. The Islamic World Studies capstone is IWS 395. The capstone provides students with an opportunity to integrate their major area of study with broader issues raised in their general education program. The Liberal Studies capstone experience allows students to see the relationship between the ideas, perspectives, and substantive areas of scholarship and creative work within their major field and those learned through significant aspects of their course work in the learning domain courses and other courses and experiences of the Liberal Studies Program. 

A liberal studies capstone course can meet both major field and liberal studies requirements. Students who complete one course to fulfill both major field credit and liberal studies credit must complete an additional domain elective (from outside the major). The third language course of the modern language option can fulfill this domain elective. 

Because the course is offered through the major field department, students must receive a grade of C- or better in this course. 

Note: Students who are double majors, may take their Liberal Studies Capstone in another department, but they must still take IWS 395 to meet the departmental major requirements.
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