Liberal Arts and Sciences

Person opening a book

Program of Study

An Associate degree in the Liberal Arts and Sciences is expressly designed to prepare our graduates for successful transfer, progress in higher education, and careers in a rapidly evolving, global workforce.

Using approaches from a range of social sciences and humanities, the LAS-SSHU track invites students to deepen their engagement with academics while fostering their development as active citizens in a diverse, democratic society. A selection of courses on specialized topics, where students interact closely with expert faculty, impart the conceptual tools and varied skills required for excellence in further education and their chosen professions.

Philosophy

The Liberal Arts and Sciences program is committed to developing self-reliant critical thinkers with the knowledge and skills in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences to meet the challenges of today’s society through the application of evidence-based approaches to complex social, cultural, and scientific issues.

To promote career readiness within the curriculum, the Program implements course design and experiences that promote and incorporate the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) Career Competencies:

  • Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
  • Oral/Written Communication
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • Digital Technology
  • Leadership
  • Professionalism/Work Ethic
  • Career Management
  • Global/Intercultural Fluency

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Liberal Arts and Sciences program, students will be able to:

  • Distinguish the modes of inquiry used within liberal arts and social sciences disciplines (e.g., Anthropology, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Literature, History, Philosophy, Art, and Music);
  • Explain how differences of race, class, gender and sexuality have contributed to the development of contemporary problems of social and economic inequality;
  • Combine methodologies from multiple disciplines to investigate large-scale questions about human behavior and society;
  • Apply ethical understandings to contemporary social issues; and
  • Construct effective research questions and apply principles of analysis and synthesis in conducting research.

Liberal Arts and Sciences News

March 15, 2023

Guttman Community College Introduces Two New Information Technology Tracks in Cybersecurity and Networking 

New York, N.Y. (March 15, 2023) – The New York State Education Department approved two new tracks within the Information Technology (IT) programs of study at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College: Information Technology, A.A.S –Cybersecurity and Networking tracks. The two new tracks will enable students to tailor their education to specific interests and learn […]

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March 10, 2023

Guttman Community College Introduces International Business Track

New track ensures Business Administration program graduates will be in a position to transfer to a four-year program or enter the workforce New York, N.Y. (March 10, 2023)—On February 10, 2023, the New York State Education Department approved a new program at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College: Business Administration, A.A.—International Business Track. “The College […]

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February 17, 2023

Rotterdam Scholars Visit Guttman to Collaborate on Youth Participatory Action Research

NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 16, 2023) – Scholars from the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) visited Stella and Charles Guttman Community College on Monday, February 6, to discuss an oral history project. The scholars selected Guttman to acquire skills and greater cultural awareness by collaborating with marginalized, mostly migrant youth. By partnering with Guttman […]

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February 2, 2023

JobsFirstNYC Awards Guttman Community College $10,000 Planning and Design Regrant

New York, N.Y. (February 2, 2023) – Guttman Community College is excited to announce that JobsFirstNYC provided the College with a $10,000 planning and design grant to support the College’s work with the Healthcare Sector Network. Guttman College and JobsFirstNYC aim to strengthen employer-driven training to increase young adults’ readiness for employment upon program completion. This partnership will ensure that Guttman’s […]

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January 12, 2023

Brooklyn College and Stella and Charles Guttman Community College Partnership Creates Streamlined Pathway to Bachelor’s Degrees

NEW YORK, N.Y. (January 11, 2023) – A momentous articulation agreement signing was held on Monday, January 9 to formalize partnership between Stella and Charles Guttman Community College and Brooklyn College. Signers of the comprehensive agreement on behalf of Guttman Community College included President Larry Johnson, Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Nicola […]

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December 16, 2022

Guttman College Partners with H. Lavity Stoutt Community College to Promote Collaborative Academic Opportunities

  New York, N.Y., and Tortola, B.V.I. (December 9, 2022) – Stella and Charles Guttman Community College of the City University of New York is excited to announce that it will be partnering with H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) in the British Virgin Islands to promote collaborative academic opportunities between these innovative institutions. The […]

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May 23, 2022

LIRT News Selects Guttman Professors’ Article as One of Top 20 for 2021

Library Instruction Roundtable has selected an article by Guttman Professors Meagan Lacy and Alexandra Hamlett as one of the Top 20 instruction articles published in 2021. The LIRT Top-20 Committee reviews the library instruction literature from the previous year and identifies the twenty best instruction articles of that year. Professors Lacy and Hamlett’s article, “Librarians, step out of the classroom!: How improved faculty-led IL instruction improves student learning,” was originally published in Reference Services Review.

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May 20, 2022

A Journey of Self-Advocacy

Miyoko Wong knows that to get what you want from life, you have to take chances. They did just that when they took a leap and moved from Honolulu to New York City nine months ago to attend Guttman. In addition to making the thousand-plus mile trip, Miyoko has also been on a journey of self-advocacy and discovery. After a tumultuous time back home, New York City and Guttman have been offering Miyoko opportunities to grow and thrive. 

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May 20, 2022

Guttman Students Learn Fundamental Technological Skill

In Professor Juan Rodriguez’s Networking & Data Communications course (INFT 201-01), Guttman students learned a fundamental technological skill—how to make RJ45 cables. RJ45 cables are essential cables in networking; more specifically, as Joksan Erhlich Banegas Moran, a student in the class, describes, “RJ45 or twisted pair cables are cables with four wire pairs (eight wires) inside. With eight pins on the port used for networking (wired Ethernet connection).” Students in INFT 201 used patch cables and RJ45 connectors as well as a crimper tool for the assembly of the actual cables. Joksan notes that knowing how to create RJ45 cables “is a skill that everyone in IT should have.” Joksan is currently majoring in Information Technology at Guttman College, and, upon graduation, he is looking forward to transferring to a four-year college to pursue a career in computer science.

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May 4, 2022

Guttman Professor Named STEM Pedagogy Institute Fellow

The Teaching and Learning Center’s STEM Pedagogy Institute (SPI) has named Professor Jihyun Kim, Assistant Professor of Science at Guttman Community College, a fellow for summer 2022. SPI serves to engage with critical issues associated with STEM-related disciplines and fields. More specifically, SPI seeks to attract, support, and retain ethnic, racial, and gender minorities. Methodical and empathetic pedagogical approaches can help students from underrepresented groups develop deeper connections to STEM inquiry. In the process, students can envision diverse futures made possible by STEM learning.

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April 20, 2022

Guttman Professor Named CITA 2022 Summer Institute Experiential Learning Fellow

The CUNY Innovative Teaching Academy (CITA) has accepted Professor Jihyun Kim, Assistant Professor of Science at Guttman Community College, as an Experiential Learning Fellow for summer 2022. CITA Institutes focus on extended, in-depth examinations of special topics in teaching and pedagogy. The Experiential Learning CITA Institute will be facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Maloy, Queensborough Community College, and Dr. Claudette Davis, LaGuardia Community College.

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April 15, 2022

“Lucky” 13 and Counting: Guttman Alumnus Earns Multiple Scholarships

Javier Sarmiento, Jr. is a self-described “proud” Guttman graduate of the Class of 2019. He is an award-winning journalist, writer, social justice advocate, basketball enthusiast, and an honors student of digital media on his way to graduate from Buena Vista University in May. He is also a recipient of a record thirteen scholarships (and counting) he has earned over the last year. In this case, “lucky” thirteen is just a phrase – Javier earned the awards through hard work and determination. 

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April 11, 2022

Guttman Professors Publish Paper on Reducing Math Anxiety Through Psychological Intervention in the Classroom

Guttman Community College Assistant Professor Tashana S. Samuel’s article “‘I Can Math, too!’: Reducing Math Anxiety in STEM-related Courses” was published online in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice on March 28, 2022. Professor Samuel, along with her co-authors, Sebastien Buttet and Jared Warner, note that “math anxiety has become an alarming social justice concern, as it results in negative academic consequences, contributes to disinterest and lack of persistence in STEM programs for underrepresented students, and limits their opportunities in STEM careers.”

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April 4, 2022

Guttman Community College Partners with The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library to Celebrate National Poetry Month

Guttman Community College, in partnership with The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) of The New York Public Library, is celebrating National Poetry Month throughout the month of April with a series of events and workshops for the Guttman community and the general public.  Over the course of the month, Guttman will host a panel discussion centered on how poetry influences our lives, a Photopoetry Workshop led by Professor Valdon Battice, a poetry writing workshop led by Professors Daniel Collins and Meghan Gilbert-Hickey, poetry readings by renowned poets Teka Lo and Raina León, and a live presentation of student writing which will showcase Guttman students sharing and celebrating their diverse and powerful voices through original poetry, prose and art. This exciting lineup of in-person events will be split between the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on 5th Avenue and the Guttman Library on campus. 

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March 22, 2022

Alexandra Hamlett, Information Literacy Librarian and Assistant Professor, Library Science and Information Literacy

As an information literacy librarian, Alexandra Hamlett helps students learn essential research skills, skills that include finding, evaluating, and using multiple information types in order for students to be able to access credible information for their academic and personal information needs. In 2015, she was thrilled to join Guttman College, where an innovative and creative pedagogy is embraced. Guttman’s founders outlined a non-traditional community college and developed a curriculum tied to student success. “I have been privileged to develop an information literacy program where I collaborate closely with faculty to embed information literacy skills across the First-Year Experience and the Programs of Study,” says Professor Hamlett.

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March 21, 2022

Two Guttman Students Selected as Semifinalists for the Prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

Guttman Community College students Bashir Juwara and Camila Rodriguez have been selected as semi-finalists for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, making history as the first Guttman students to receive the honor in the College’s ten-year history. Mr. Juwara and Ms. Rodriguez join a distinguished group of 440 semifinalists from community colleges around the country and are two of 22 CUNY students competing for the prize. The Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship offers coverage for students’ educational expenses for the two to three years necessary to achieve a bachelor’s degree at a transfer institution. Winners will be announced in May. The two Guttman scholars’ journeys leading up to the decision and graduation at the end of the semester are marked with resilience and perseverance.

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