Liberal Arts and Humanities Degrees

<h2 id="section---WhatAreLiberalArtsSciencesDegrees">What Are Liberal Arts &amp; Sciences Degrees?</h2> <p>Liberal arts is the term used to describe a broad approach to education, with coursework in four to five major categories. These categories include the humanities (culture and languages), physical sciences (chemistry, biology, etc.), social sciences (political science, sociology, etc.), arts and literature, and philosophy and mathematics. The goal of a liberal arts degree is to encourage intellectual curiosity and development, providing students with excellent critical thinking and reasoning skills. General education requirements are based upon a liberal arts approach, although this is distinct from dedicated liberal arts or humanities degrees. </p> <p>Liberal arts education stands apart from professional or technical education, which are typically designed to teach students how to perform a specific job or use particular tools. Liberal arts colleges focus on general knowledge and skills, such as writing ability and communication skills, which are quite valuable in the workplace. These degrees are desirable to employers as a result, and also make for a good undergraduate major for those planning to move on to fields like medicine and law, where most of the professional education takes place at the graduate level. </p> <h2 id="section---LiberalArtsDegrees">Liberal Arts Degrees</h2> <p>Liberal arts degrees can be earned from associate to doctorate. The curriculum offered in liberal arts programs is often quite flexible, allowing students to make decisions about individual courses they want to take, while still ensuring a broad education in a variety of subject areas. </p> <h3 id="section---LiberalArtsAssociateDegrees">Liberal Arts Associate Degrees</h3> <p>Associate degrees in liberal arts offer a two-year course of study in the liberal arts disciplines. While they are often used by transfer students as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree, liberal arts degrees at the associate level can still be quite valuable. Students who graduated with this degree were far more likely to find employment than those with only a high school diploma or who did not finish a degree program. Since students can choose courses that appeal to them within each discipline, the classes any individual may take may vary. Still, typical courses in liberal arts programs at the associate level include: </p> <ul><li>Algebra </li><li>English composition </li><li>Public speaking </li><li>American government </li><li>Physics </li><li>General psychology </li></ul><h3 id="section---LiberalArtsBachelorSDegrees">Liberal Arts Bachelor's Degrees</h3> <p>Bachelor's degrees in liberal arts, sometimes also called a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, General Studies, or even bachelor's in humanities, provide an equally broad, but more comprehensive four-year plan of study. Rather than specializing in one field of study, as with other bachelor's degrees, a liberal arts major keeps students flexible and well-versed in a number of areas, taking a 'jack of all trades' approach to education. While they refrain from the intensive focus and study of a standard major, liberal arts degrees at the bachelor's level can still have concentrations, which students will naturally move toward as they learn what courses they prefer. These concentrations tend to be in areas like business, communications, or elementary education, where a broad knowledge is most useful. Courses commonly encountered in these programs, beyond those which overlap with the associate courses, include: </p> <ul><li>Economic principles </li><li>Creative writing </li><li>Social psychology </li><li>World and ancient history </li><li>Geography </li><li>Art and music appreciation </li></ul><h3 id="section---LiberalArtsHumanitiesMasterSDegrees">Liberal Arts &amp; Humanities Master's Degrees</h3> <p>Master's degrees in liberal arts, sometimes called master's in humanities, are a common variety of graduate degree, intended to draw together the interdisciplinary skills acquired in a liberal arts education. As a graduate level program, it is first necessary to obtain a bachelor's degree, although it need not be in liberal arts. While there is still a heavy focus on writing and communication skills, critical thinking, and reasoning ability, courses in liberal arts at the master's level tend to be more humanities, art, social science, and philosophy oriented. Another key element is research methods and approaches in different disciplines, providing students with tools to continue learning on their own and the capacity to draw conclusions. This ability is often put to the test with a thesis paper at the end of the program, as is common with other master's degrees. </p> <p>Typical courses at this level may include: </p> <ul><li>Applied ethics </li><li>Leadership and decision-making </li><li>Eastern philosophy </li><li>Culture impact of science and technology </li></ul><h2 id="section---OnlineLiberalArtsDegree">Online Liberal Arts Degree</h2> <p>Online liberal arts degrees are relatively easy to find at most levels. Online associate degrees in liberal arts are usually designed for students planning to transfer into a four-year program, but they can also stand on their own. Finding liberal arts bachelor's degrees online is even easier, as they are a common choice for individuals with some college credits who hope to finish their degree. Earning a Master of Liberal Arts online can be a bit trickier but is still possible; online master's programs may handle thesis and graduation projects using distance learning methods. An online PhD in humanities is rare but does exist. </p> <p>For students, the advantages of online liberal arts degrees are primarily in the reduced cost, relative to on campus programs, and the schedule flexibility, which allows students to study and listen to lectures without impacting their ability to work. Another advantage is that you'll never have to worry about choosing between two classes you're interested in taking with conflicting time slots, as you would on campus. Online programs may also have smaller class sizes on average and allow for more personal attention from professors via email and direct chat, as opposed to having to seek them out during designated office hours. </p> <h2 id="section---BenefitsOfALiberalArtsEducation">Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education</h2> <p>Liberal arts degrees are intended to provide students with baseline knowledge in a variety of topics. Additionally, a key goal of liberal arts education is to equip students with the abilities to think, analyze, and research, allowing them to easily explore several topics of interest. A well-educated liberal arts student should be able to communicate proficiently, whether by writing or speaking, to think critically about information, and to reason and solve problems. These skills are taught using focused humanities courses and are extremely effective for making decision-makers. </p> <h2 id="section---WhatIsALiberalArtsCollege">What Is a Liberal Arts College?</h2> <p>Liberal arts colleges offer classes in many areas and allow students to choose what courses they would like to take at any given time. They primarily award bachelor's degrees in the liberal arts disciplines, such as the humanities, physical and social sciences, arts and literature, philosophy, and mathematics. This contrasts with technical schools, which usually focus on associate degrees and train students for a particular trade, as well as institutes of technology, which are more focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degrees. They also differ from universities, in that small liberal arts colleges have fewer students and faculty, although large universities may still offer liberal arts degrees. </p> <h2 id="section---WhatCanYouDoWithALiberalArtsDegree">What Can You Do with a Liberal Arts Degree?</h2> <p>While there aren't 'liberal arts jobs' the way that there are 'engineering jobs,' liberal arts degrees are well-suited for those careers that require a broad array of knowledge. Reporters and journalists, for example, not only need to know how to communicate efficiently in writing but should also possess some knowledge of the topics they are covering and have the research skills to learn more as needed. Liberal arts is also an excellent choice for elementary teachers, as educators of young children need to be able to provide instruction in several subjects over the course of a school day. Even business management careers can see major benefits from a liberal arts degree, as leadership, ethics, and communication abilities are critical to success in business. Managers also frequently must interact with different departments that have various specialties, and a liberal arts education can offer insight into those specialties.</p>