Description

With four centers and two programs around the world and a student body and faculty drawn from more than twice that many countries, LIU Global is uniquely international. Although actual enrollment varies from semester to semester due to visiting students, it hovers around 130. The Program is designed for students capable of assuming greater responsibility for their own lives and learning. The Program's worldwide facilities offer students the opportunity to live, study, and participate in three or more cultures while earning a B.A. degree; to design individual programs of study based on personal interests and goals; and to combine classroom study with field experience and internships. While acquiring a balanced liberal arts education, including the development of practical fluency in one or more foreign languages and an appreciation of the cultures of several world regions, students have the opportunity to carry out in-depth study and gain practical experience in their chosen field. In addition, they develop a deeper understanding of and a broader perspective on current world issues.

* Academic Program

The learning process is a carefully planned combination of classroom study, structured out-of-class experiences, and independent fieldwork in at least three regions of the world (including the student's own). Under the guidance of the faculty members, students develop skills and competence in their areas of concentration by combining reading and library research, direct experience, and analytical writing. For example, students have studied and compared Gandhian nonviolence in India and Buddhist responses to oppression among Tibetan refugees. Others have compared feminist movements in Africa, Europe, and the United States. Game parks and natural resource management in Africa and India have been studied from the perspectives of local residents, nongovernmental organizations, and national economic and political aims.

Freshmen spend the year in Costa Rica engaged in a combination of required and elective courses designed to allow guided pursuit of individual interests while, at the same time, ensuring a high degree of intellectual rigor and providing a sound foundation for experiences to come. Throughout the year, freshmen work closely with a faculty adviser to define their educational interests and goals and to identify ways of extending and deepening their understanding of various issues. The Costa Rica Center offers exceptional resources to students as they begin planning their sophomore and junior years in their "world university".

Seniors, as mentioned earlier, return to the States for their last semester and reconnect with their freshman cohorts for guided reflection on their full experience as LIU Global students and for the final preparation and presentation of senior projects at the Brooklyn Campus. Drawing on their prior work and able to complement each other's experiences with their own, students graduate with the skills and knowledge to become truly effective global citizens.

As a record of their learning and growth, students maintain journals and submit assignments as required. In lieu of final exams, students prepare portfolios of their learning each semester. The portfolio contains the learning plan, thought pieces, and research papers; it serves as the basis for evaluation and the awarding of credits by the faculty adviser.

The B.A. degree is conferred upon successful completion of 128 credits appropriately distributed, the Junior Year Research Seminar and Independent Study Project along with the Senior Capstone Semester. Up to 64 semester credits may be accepted toward the degree from the following sources: transfer credits from other accredited institutions of higher education, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, military service, and College Board Advanced Placement examinations. Credit may also be awarded for learning acquired through life experience. Such learning must be documented and evaluated by the LIU Global faculty.

Highlights

LIU Global graduates earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Long Island University, accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All students matriculate as interdisciplinary studies majors and declare an area of concentration by their junior year. Areas of concentration have included such topics as activism and art, anthropology, business practices, communications (including journalism, photography, and video), community health, comparative health practices, comparative literature, criminal justice systems, cross-cultural studies, environmental studies, ethnomusicology, gay studies, human rights, indigenous peoples, international development, peace studies, schooling and socialization, sustainable development, and women's studies. Areas of concentration range from the traditional to the unique; courses of study are reviewed by faculty advisers to ensure students incorporate both interdisciplinary and international perspectives in their course work.

Minimum Education

High School

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

approximately USD 18,900/per semester; varies per center

Program Fees Include:

Included in the program costs are tuition, fees, scheduled field trips, housing and most meals, and international travel. Students are responsible for airfare to and from the country and personal expenses.

This Program is open to

American and Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays
• Group living
• Independent living
• Apartment/Flat
• Other

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 10-15

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application
• Transcript
• Written Application
• Essay

Typically The Application Process Time is

two weeks

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network

LIU Global's Mission Statement

LIU Global's mission is the development of well-educated world citizens, men and women from a broad spectrum of nationalities and social classes who participate in an undergraduate liberal arts program that enables them: to combine first-hand experience of diverse cultural realities with the critical study of academic disciplines and human and ecological problems; to test intellectual theories and skills against the demands of practice and service; to carry out specialized field study under expert guidance that synthesizes cross-cultural understanding; and to develop a broad world view and a level of achievement in a chosen field sufficient to prepare for a life of committed action in the interest of the world community.

Year Founded

1966