Advising

New Students

All First-Time Freshman

First semester and second semester Freshman at CSUN who are declared Liberal Studies majors will be advised by the College of Humanities Student Services Center and EOP Satellite.

Liberal Studies Majors

New students interested in the Liberal Studies major must participate in a virtual information session in order to be able to make an appointment to meet with an advisor.

Virtual Information Session - Liberal Studies

The Liberal Studies information session will inform students about the B.A. Degree and ITEP-Junior Option of Liberal Studies. Students interested in teaching multiple subjects (Kindergarten through 6th grade) or Special Education must complete this virtual information session.

You will be receiving the ZOOM Meeting ID link 24 hours before the start of the information session.

Wednesday, May 7th 3-4:30pm: This Information Session is Full.
Tuesday, May 20th 3-4:30pm: sign-up for this info session.

New Student Handout (PDF)

Interdisciplinary Studies Majors

New students interested in the Interdisciplinary Studies degree can call the Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies office to schedule an appointment. Please call the Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies office at (818) 677-3300 and identify yourself as a student interested in declaring the Interdisciplinary Studies degree.

General Procedures on Making an Appointment

Academic advisement is available by appointment Monday through Friday. Students may meet with any Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies advisor. Appointments are made on a first-to-arrive basis. Please plan your appointment well in advance and call us if you need to cancel. According to the Option or Program you intend to follow, please read the appropriate advisement procedures below.

Late Policy: We ask that you please arrive before your appointment start time. Please note if you are late, you will be asked to reschedule.

Prospective Students

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies that has the largest number of majors in the College of Humanities at California State University Northridge (CSUN). With two distinct Bachelor of Arts degrees, we offer a wide range of multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary degrees, minors, and options.

The B.A in Liberal Studies is for anyone who wants to be an Elementary School teacher (from Kindergarten to grade 6) or a special Education teacher (from Kindergarten to grade 8). Our B.A in Liberal Studies degree is one of the oldest, largest, most complex, rigorous, and well-respected state-approved subject matter programs for the multiple subject teaching credential required for elementary school teachers (K-6) in the state. Our department is among the top three institutions in California in preparing K-6 educators for the classroom. Our B. A. in Liberal Studies offers teacher preparation students the choice of eight different areas of specialization from the traditional areas of Language Arts, Math, Sciences, and History and Social Sciences to the newer areas of Arts Integration, Childhood Studies, Digital Humanities, and Sustainability and Environmental Humanities. We also offer students the Elementary Subject Matter Verification (ESM).

B.A., Liberal Studies is available for students interested in careers as elementary or special education teachers should select one of the Liberal Studies Teacher Preparation option programs. All provide a B.A. degree in Liberal Studies, including preparation in the multiple subjects taught in self-contained classroom settings. Students in the Teacher Preparation option take courses in the language arts, natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, visual and performing arts, human development, physical education and health. By the end of the degree program, students have a foundation of basic knowledge in all of these areas. Students pursuing the Teacher Preparation option are not required to meet the University General Education requirements. By completing the Liberal Studies major, students are considered to have fulfilled those requirements.

B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies is available for students interested in a degree that approaches complex problems that are best addressed by integrating several academic schools of thought, specialized knowledge from multiple research areas, or methods and perspectives from different disciplinary fields. This degree emphasizes the practice and methodology of interdisciplinarity to enable students to merge different scholarly areas and fields. With a selection of courses drawn from a variety of departments (from the Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities) focusing on quantitative, qualitative and cultural approaches, the degree prepares students to produce college-level cross-disciplinary work and grants them the freedom to design a major around their intellectual interests and professional goals.

Humanities Minor is available for students interested in supplementing their degree with an interdisciplinary array of courses in Ethnic Studies, the Arts, English, Linguistics, Philosophy, and others.

Sustainability Minor is available for students interested in learning current and best practices for planetary sustainability on an individual, institutional, regional and global level. This minor provides a strong supplement for all majors.

Making an Appointment - All students

Academic advisement is available by appointment Monday through Friday. Students may meet with any Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies advisor. Appointments are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Please plan your appointment well in advance and call us if you need to cancel. According to the Option or Program you intend to follow, please read the appropriate advisement procedures below.

Late Policy

We ask that you please arrive before your appointment start time. Please note if you are late, you will be asked to reschedule.

Virtual Appointments

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies has transitioned to online services and is available to answer your questions. To schedule a virtual appointment with an advisor, please call our main office at (818) 677-3300. We will respond to your request as soon as possible during regular business hours, calls will be answered during the following hours 8am-1pm & 2-5pm Monday through Friday.

We appreciate your understanding and patience with the high volume of calls during virtual delivery of services. If you are experiencing difficulty getting through, please continue to call 818-677-3300.

Quick Questions

For quick questions, please email one of our advisors:

Jonathan B. Martinez: jonathan.b.martinez@csun.edu (For ITEP Freshman and new student inquiries).
Martha Campos: martha.campos@csun.edu (For ITEP Junior, Pre-Credential, and Interdisciplinary Studies Option inquiries and students with last names beginning with A to L).
Mary Dudley: mary.dudley@csun.edu (For ITEP Junior, Pre-Credential, and Interdisciplinary Studies Option inquiries and students with last names beginning with M to Z).

Applying for Graduation

Apply a year in advance.
Schedule a grad check appointment with a Liberal Studies advisor (required).
Bachelor's Degree Application and Document Deadlines

Advising Resources

Department Chair