The Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS)

External Degree Program

The BLS degree program allows you to complete a bachelor's degree from The University of Iowa without attending classes full-time on campus. It is designed for individuals who, due to family and/or employment responsibilities wish to pursue a degree at a distance. More than 800 students have graduated from the program since it was established in 1977; many have pursued graduate or professional work. The program is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS).

Admission Requirements

New University of Iowa applicants:

60 semester hours (s.h.) of transferable credit,
a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 2.5 or above and
high school course requirements

Previously admitted University of Iowa students:

60 semester hours of transferable credit and
a GPA of 2.0 or above on either all University of Iowa course work or on all course work completed

Other options for gaining admission:
Associate of Arts (AA) degree:

An AA from any Iowa community college or from Waldorf College allows you to be admitted with a 2.0 GPA. All General Education Program requirements are considered satisfied except the foreign language requirement.

Applicants holding an AA from Black Hawk College in Illinois may be admitted with a 2.25 GPA. All General Education Program requirements are considered satisfied except the foreign language requirement.

Students with AA degrees from other institutions are eligible for admission according to the criteria for new University of Iowa applicants listed above. Transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

Liberal Studies Interest (LSI):
LSI is designed for students who fall short of the 60 s.h. needed for direct admission to the BLS program. If you have 24-60 s.h. of transferable credit and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above, you will be admitted to The University of Iowa in LSI status. Upon completion of 60 s.h. of credit, you may transfer into the BLS program by meeting the admission requirements for previously admitted University of Iowa students.

LionHawk Program:
The LionHawk program is a cooperative effort between Pennsylvania State University and The University of Iowa. Under the terms of the LionHawk agreement, students who complete Penn State's Letters, Arts, and Sciences Associate degree (2LAS) are ensured admission into the BLS program. Upon admission to the BLS program, all General Education Program requirements at Iowa are considered satisfied except the foreign language requirement.

For more information contact PSU: psude@cde.psu.edu

Applying for Admission

You can file your application electronically with the Office of Admissions. If you prefer, contact Distance Education, toll-free at 888-4-UofI-Ed (888-486-3433), to request a BLS information packet which includes an application form.

The following are needed to complete your application for admission:

application form
$40 application fee
an official high school transcript (call Admissions if it's not available)
official transcripts from each post secondary institution you've attended
documentation of military training, if applicable
official transcripts for professional training programs, if applicable

All application materials and official transcripts should be sent to the Office of Admissions, 107 Calvin Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.

Application Deadlines
Applications are processed as soon as possible after all transcripts and letters of recommendation are received. Typically, the application process takes from four to six weeks. All University of Iowa course work is semester based. While you may submit your application at any time, you can only begin course work at the start of the fall (August), spring (January), or summer (May) sessions.

Graduation Requirements

Students must earn a combined total of at least 120 semester hours from all sources. The 120 semester hours must include all of the following:

45 semester hours of upper-level course work
30 semester hours of credit earned from The University of Iowa after admission to the BLS program

Completion of General Education Program requirements:

Rhetoric course work equivalent to Composition I, Composition II, and Speech.
Foreign Language: 0-16 semester hours (fourth semester course proficiency)
Historical Perspectives: 3 semester hours
Interpretation of Literature: 3 semester hours
Humanities: 3 semester hours
Natural Science: 7 semester hours
Quantitative or Formal Reasoning: 3 semester hours
Social Science: 3 semester hours
Distributed General Education: 6 semester hours

Completion of BLS Distribution Area requirements

Students focus their plan of study by selecting a minimum of three of the five general thematic groupings, or Distribution areas.

Humanities
Communications and the Arts
Natural Science and Math
Social Sciences
Professional Fields
Within each of the three selected areas, you are required to complete 12 semester hours of course work. At least six semester hours must be upper-level coursework.

A minimum 2.0 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in:

All completed course work
All upper level course work
All University of Iowa course work
All transfer course work

Distance Education Coursework

For additional information on how distance education coursework can satisfy graduation requirements, please see the following:

*For more information on earning your Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or Applied Science (AS) degree, visit these Web sites:

Des Moines Area Community College
Eastern Iowa Community College District (Clinton, Muscatine & Scott Community Colleges)
Ellsworth Community College
Iowa Community College Online Consortium (ICCOC)
Iowa Lakes Community College
Kirkwood Community College
Marshalltown Community College
North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC)
Northwest Iowa Community College
Southwestern Community College