What SSLA Offers

SSLA endeavours to

1. establish SSLA as a centre for interdisciplinary studies to encourage comprehensive understanding and skill development
2. engage in research to enhance community growth at the local and the global level
3. encourage and appreciate the diversity of ideas, free expression of opinions, critical and scientific temper
4. establish a community of socially responsible citizens and leaders
5. strengthen international and national partnerships to develop global and intercultural competencies
6. link curriculum with needs of the global ecosystem to foster professional growth

SSLA’s Programme Educational Objectives (PEOs)

Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) aims to enhance a student’s personal, professional and civic life.

SSLA aspires to provide a programme that assists young students to grow into critically conscious citizens who are able to find a healthy balance between professional and personal growth with focus on strong academic foundation, sound ethical norms, civic mindedness, problem solving capabilities and transferable skills.

SSLA’s POs / PSOs (Programme Outcomes/ Programme Specific Outcomes):

1. Academic outcomes

1.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the methods of inquiry and analysis both within and among traditional liberal arts and sciences disciplines (humanities, natural sciences, physical sciences, social sciences)

1.2 Combine core disciplinary training along with contemporary scholarship through

1.3 research and analysis Develop a strong academic foundation in interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary understanding of the world

1.4 Identify problems and contribute to effective problem solving using domain expertise

1.5 Enhance transferable skills such as robust and rigorous research capability, analytical skills, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, effective communication and writing 

1.6 Use domain knowledge and research skills to contribute towards a sustainable environment

1.7 Apply ethical principles to professional and academic life

2. Social Responsibility

2.1 Demonstrate civic-mindedness through communication and action

2.2 Contributes to the local, regional, national and global communities

2.3 Demonstrate sensitivity towards environment and promote sustainable development

2.4 Act with sensitivity, awareness, and social concern on issues of equity and social justice as effective citizens towards development and growth of socially and culturally marginalized groups

2.5 Assume ethical leadership roles for innovative problem solving within organizations and communities

3. Employability

3.1 Effectively apply domain knowledge, research and communication skills in the professional space

3.2 Engage successfully in workspaces through teamwork, conflict resolution, problem-solving, ethical behavior, adaptability, and leadership

3.3 Adapt to a dynamic multicultural and globally integrated economy

3.4 Utilize practical and experiential learning and the ability to bring together information to create or identify effective sustainable solutions

4. Personal / Individual development or outcomes-

4.1 Have the capacity to situate local experiences in the global context

4.2 Identify and appreciate diverse and contrasting opinions and perspectives

4.3 Effectively communicate with diverse audiences to formulate and defend informed positions

4.4 To take action based on knowledge developed using varied tools in qualitative and quantitative research and analysis

4.5 Understand effective learning as an ongoing process for a successful professional and personal development

4.6 Demonstrate global competencies like teamwork, critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding and adaptability, problem-solving and conflict resolution

4.7 Understand the importance of eco-literacy and sustainability in the context of environment and energy

4.8 The successful Liberal Arts graduate has the skill, experience, flexibility of mind, and appreciation of diversity to explore academic pursuits

We live in a world that seems to be forever changing...a new world with dynamic challenges that requires young enthusiastic adults capable of playing positive and fruitful roles in organizations and communities.

The Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts strongly believes in the importance of a comprehensive education in preparation for career advancement and for the exercise of leadership. We believe organizations and society have an urgent need for creative individuals who will readily learn on the job, after having been exposed to a broad and comprehensive education.

Based on the experiences with liberal arts in the last 11 years, we know that a sound liberal arts education provides a much needed cultural orientation to the world in which we live and equips students with ideas, analytical and communication skills, and global perspectives along with the ability to synthesize knowledge and make informed value judgments.

(From the Director’s Desk)

The liberal arts programme at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts is a holistic programme designed as a combination of multi, inter and transdisciplinary learning focused on transferability of skills, employability and a spirit of enquiry. The focus is on critical thinking, research, analysis and writing along with civic mindedness. The programme aspires to augment and develop individuals who are critically conscious and able to find a healthy balance between professional and personal growth.

Our Liberal Arts programme is styled very closely on international models while also fulfilling the demands of a higher education programme in India. Students engage with a wide range of courses with the freedom to pick and choose Minor and Major areas of specialization from areas previously considered to be ‘academically incompatible’. A student can combine subjects like Business studies as a Major with a Philosophy Minor or Mathematics & Statistics as a Major with an Anthropology Minor. This gives students a chance to enter hybrid workspaces where expertise from two disciplines offer and edge over others. Unique combinations like Biology and Economics opens up avenues in fields like Health Economics, Policy Making, Pharmacare etc.

The Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) offers a four-year, full-time undergraduate liberal arts (honours) programme with research. It closely mirrors international standards for Liberal Arts, where students are offered a wide range of learning experiences through the Elective and Core courses aimed at providing a stronger foundation for specialisations in their major(s) and minor(s). Liberal Arts at SSLA also aims to fulfil a niche gap in the industry by inculcating core transferable skills among its students that include analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, resilience and the capabilities to adapt to diverse environments.

The guiding vision at SSLA is to foster an environment that encourages all its members to participate in the learning process. Through innovative teaching, research, community outreach activities, experiential learning such as internships, field trips, industry visits, international exposure etc. we foster thoughtful inquiry, insightful reflection and robust discourse. At SSLA, we aim to nurture students into sensitive, ethical and critically conscious citizens who will contribute responsibly to their communities and society.

Degrees offered at SSLA:

• B.A. (Liberal Arts) Honours
• B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours
• B.A (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research
• B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research

1. Minimum 176 Credits are mandatory for the award of B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours degree and B.A/B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research degree.
2. There is no difference in total number of minimum credits for either of these degrees (B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours or B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research) to be awarded.
3. For the Honours with Research degree, the 12 credits will be completed through Research Project: Proposal Writing (4 credits) + Research Project (8 credits). The course Research Project: Proposal Writing (4 credits) is mandatory for students pursuing B.A/B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research degree and B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours degree.
4. Students who secure CGPA 7.5 and above at the end of Semester 6 will be eligible for the B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours with Research option to complete the programme. Students who are pursuing the B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours with a Research degree will have to complete a Research Project of 8 credits.
5. Students who do not secure CGPA 7.5 and above at the end of Semester 6 will be awarded a B.A./B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours degree upon completion of 2 courses in lieu of the Research Project. This will include 2 additional courses from the Major Specialisation basket that includes the option of an additional Internship.
6. Students who do not secure CGPA 7.5 and above at the end of Semester 6 have the option to pursue a Research Project which includes the Research Project (8 Credits). The degree awarded will be B.A. / B.Sc. (Liberal Arts) Honours.
7. All the Specialisation courses can be opted as General Elective / Audit / Extra from the 2 nd year onwards as long as the prerequisites, if any, are fulfilled.
8. Students have the option of accumulating extra credits by opting for Extra courses beyond the minimum prescribed Credits for the Award of the Degree (without impacting their degree). Extra course grades will contribute towards calculating GPA and CGPA. Students may pursue a maximum of 1 Extra course (4 credits) from semester 3 onwards.
9. Extra courses can contribute towards a specialisation over and above the minimum number of credits required to successfully complete the courses and for the award of Degree.
10. Research Project: Proposal Writing and Research Project and Summer Internship can be pursued in either of the specialisations.
11. Students can opt for Audit courses over and above the programme requirements. Audit courses will not contribute towards the calculations of GPA or CGPA but will reflect in the SIU Grade Sheet as ‘Pass’ grade if the student has cleared the course. Students may pursue a maximum of 1 Audit course (4 credits) from semester 3 onwards.
12. Students undergoing the Global Immersion Programme (GIP) are entitled to GIP credits (4 credits / 8 credits / 12 credits / the total number of credits for the semester) based on applicable waivers as approved by the mapping committee. Total Credits (SIU course credits and GIP credits) are not to exceed the minimum number of mandatory credits for the semester.