For many students, the excitement of their first year of college comes from the opportunity to explore new ways of thinking about themselves and the world around them. At Marymount Manhattan College our Liberal Studies Program (LSP) is designed specifically for those students who do not want to immediately declare a specific major but would rather spend their first year of college exploring different disciplines and taking a broad variety of courses. While this program offers students that opportunity, it also provides them with guidance from faculty and staff members as well as the ability to enhance their learning through out-of-classroom experiences, both within the College and throughout New York City.
The Liberal Studies Program provides students with a focused curriculum through which they will experience a range of academic fields and disciplines. In doing so, they complete many college-wide requirements while exploring fields in which they may ultimately choose to major. The central goal of the Liberal Studies Program is to support students as they transition from exploring a range of academic disciplines to declaring their majors. For some LSP students, this transition occurs early during their first academic year. For others, it may take a bit more time. Whether this is a short or long process, faculty advisors help students along the way. These advisors help students through the program and guide them as they consider options related to their majors, learning opportunities outside of the classroom, and possible career paths. They also assist LSP students through the major declaration process and help them connect with the faculty advisors within their chosen majors. All LSP students are also assigned to a designated academic advisor within the Office of Academic Advisement. Students within the Program are required to have regular meeting with their assigned advisor, especially during their first semester in the college.