Don't just prepare for a job. Prepare for life!
The Liberal Arts Guild (The Guild) is a vibrant community of critical thinkers who view the earliest years of college as an opportunity to build a strong foundation for life. In the Guild, Liberal Arts Scholars engage in specialized courses and immersive experiences, discovering how the core disciplines for the liberal arts build upon and relate to one another. These students encourage each other to ask life-changing questions about themselves, this world and their faith. They are challenged to learn to think for themselves in a faith-filled environment.
"...every engineer will need to learn more about the liberal arts..." - Brad Smith, President, Microsoft
THE 30 BEST SMALL COLLEGES FOR A CLASSICAL EDUCATIONWho can participate in The Guild?
- Provided he or she has the required prerequisite courses, any LETU student may take courses that are offered as part of the Guild
- Certificate in the Liberal Arts
- For students who do not have the flexibility allowed by free electives within their majors, the Certificate provides recognition of additional work and competencies gained within the Guild experience. With an investment of only three additional credit hours beyond the basic LETU General Education requirement, a student can earn the recognition that comes with the Certificate.
- To earn the certificate, students complete 12 credit hours of “Foundational” courses and one semester (six credit hours) of an Integrated Culture Experience.
- Liberal Arts Scholar – this is the full Guild experience.
- Students earn fifteen credit hours of “Foundational Courses” as well as four semesters (24 credit hours) of Integrated Culture Experiences.
- For students majoring in the Humanities or Social Sciences, the Guild experience fits easily within their existing degree plans and does not extend their time to graduation.
- Liberal Arts Scholars gain full benefit of Guild membership. Those who live on campus also qualify for a $1000 scholarship. This application is intended for students who are interested in full membership in the Guild.
- Full membership in the Guild is renewed annually.
Every student who completes a level of the Liberal Arts Guild will be able to indicate to future employers the intentionality with which they have developed the core skills of The Guild:
| Liberal Arts Certificate | Liberal Arts Scholar |
| 12 credit hours of Foundations + 1 semester of integrated experience | 15 credit hours of Foundations + all 4 semesters of integrated experiences |
What are the components of The Guild?
Foundations of the Craft
The Guild experience starts with foundational, core classes. These classes are designed to lead students into a mastery of the foundational skills of the craft - reading, writing, and thinking.
| Liberal Arts Certificate (12 hours) | Liberal Arts Scholar (15 hours) |
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ENGL 1113: Close Reading in a Digital Age* ENGL 1123: Rhetoric and the Craft of Research COMM 1213: Speech, Debate, and the Art of Conversation PHIL 2113: Logic*; PHIL 2013: Introduction to Philosophy; or PHIL/POLS 3313: Political Philosophy and Civil Discourse |
ENGL 1113: Close Reading in a Digital Age* ENGL 1123: Rhetoric and the Craft of Research COMM 1213: Speech, Debate, and the Art of Conversation PHIL 2113: Logic* or PHIL 2013: Introduction to Philosophy PHIL/POLS 3313: Political Philosophy and Civil Discourse |
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ENGL 1113 and PHIL 2113 may be transferred in via an equivalent dual credit/community college course, or an accepted standardized test. |
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Integrated Culture Experience
Liberal Arts Scholars build upon the core with four semesters of 6-credit hour integrated experiences. Students who prefer to earn a Certificate in Liberal Arts take one semester of the integrated experiences below.
The two courses paired in each Integrated Culture Experience are team taught by LeTourneau University faculty. History, literature, and the fine arts are integrated into a curriculum that emphasizes reading primary works and dialogue. In addition, Guild members will have the chance to take part in unique on-campus and off-campus events and learning opportunities to enhance their overall learning and experience.
- The Ancient and Medieval Experience
- HIST 2233: Ancient and Medieval History/ENGL 2233: Great Literature - Ancient and Medieval
- The Modern World Experience
- HIST 2243: Origins of the Modern World/ENGL 2243: Great Literature - Renaissance and Modern
- The Early American Experience
- HIST 2123: Early American History/ENGL 2133: Early American Literature
- The Modern American Experience
- HIST 2143: Modern American History/ENGL 2143: American Literature After the Civil War
“Guilds were a feature of the earliest universities...Strong communities of accountability promote excellence and rigor. They also make the journey a lot more fun!”
- Dr. Lesley-Anne Williams, English
Scholarships
In addition to taking The Guild's unique courses, students have the opportunity to live in community with other Guild scholars on LeTourneau's residential campus. This requires an application and those accepted will receive a $1,000 scholarship for each year they live in the community. An application is required and interested students should contact TheGuild@letu.edu for more information.
Career Guidance
The Guild is designed to prepare you for life, not just a job, but the program also very intentionally helps cultivate skills that employers love. You'll receive special career counseling as an integral part of the program. Guild students will work closely with Career Services to learn how to leverage the skills learned in the program within the job market.
Interested in learning more or ready to apply for The Guild?
"The Guild offers students the opportunity to intentionally form life-long skills in critical thinking and communication founded on a commitment to Christ.”
-Dr. Daniel Ostendorff, History
A Solid Foundation for a Lifetime of Leadership
The Guild profoundly shapes those involved, equipping them to be Christ-centered leaders in their workplaces and their communities, whether they are a Humanities major, an Engineer, an Educator, a Computer Scientist, Mathematician or any other of the 86 residential degrees LeTourneau University offers. Don't just take our word for it. Leaders in every industry are talking about how important a solid foundation in the Liberal Arts are for their teams and for the future of their companies:
Artificial Intelligence
Business Majors
Computer Scientist
Liberal Arts in the Data Age”, Harvard Business Review (July-August 2017).
Engineers
Those in Public Health
Those going into the Tech Sector
Other Resources:
“That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket”, Forbes (July 2015).
