Before you go into the design of the program, ensure that you know what the expectations of the University are, to what extent that limits the freedom you have in designing the program and if it is actually possible to combine all of these expectations. Conversely, make sure that the stakeholders know what they can realistically expect from a LAS program.

Before starting with these initial considerations, make sure you are familiar with LAS learning aims and th LAS philosophy. LAS is not a corpus of knowledge; it is an approach to learning and can be used in a variety of ways. The criticism that is often heard within European Universities which have a monodisciplinary tradition is that LAS lacks rigour, depth and coherence, that in LAS ‘anything goes’. When hearing about a broad bachelor program, concerns are expressed that students will not gain enough depth, that there is not enough coherence in the programme. To the unfamiliar an LAS program in which students compose their own curriculum can be seen as a grab-bag out of which students pick and mix the courses they find interesting without making sure they develop (research) skills or work towards deeper knowledge in one or more disciplines.

Those who work in LAS programs know that this is not the case; our programs are thought out very carefully Most LAS programmes give the students the freedom and responsibility to create their own path, as this allows students to follow personal interests and to learn to take decisions: in some programmes, as at UCM or in the Studium Individuale at Leuphana, this is more pronounced than in other. But almost all programmes have requirements in place to make sure that students graduate with a meaningful set of courses that prepares them for further study or the workplace. The integrity and coherence of the programme and the vision that underpins it, is essential and this should include a strong commitment to liberal education.

With the increasing popularity of LAS programs in Europe, there is another tendency to call all broad bachelor programs LAS. For those who do not fully understand the principles of the LAS programmes, this is an understandable misinterpretation, although some aspects between a LAS programme and a broad bachelor in for example Social Sciences may be similar. A broad bachelor programme which combines various disciplines within the social sciences but does not include sciences or humanities is very interesting and worthwhile, but it is not LAS. Although different discussions, they both focus on the structure and aims of the LAS programme. It is therefore important to benchmark your program against general learning outcomes for LAS programs.

As you are working on a new programme, you may find that you want to structure your programme in a different way than your university offers. Often universities use semesters or trimesters and all programmes operate in the same rhythm of teaching and examining. If you want to include for example project weeks, short intensive courses that last only a couple of weeks, or different assessment schemes, you will have to take the regulations of your university into account. Find support for your innovative plans and try to find the freedom to try something new. If this is not possible, you will have to find a creative way to adjust your plans.