A growing number of colleges are offering what they call “liberal arts” degrees. These degree programs don’t focus exclusively on business, technology or science — which is great!
Most people associate the term liberal with something like politics or philosophy, but that’s only part of the picture.
Liberal studies look at how humans interact with each other, nature and beyond through literature, art, music, history and religion. They study it systematically to understand how individual concepts relate to one another and why certain systems work better than others.
These days, you can get a bachelor’s degree in almost any field by adding the word “liberal” to your title. An example of this is becoming an English major with a “bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.”
While this sounds appealing because you’re getting some touch-on-humanity courses mixed into your financial planning, it doesn’t make the career very plausible.
Clothing designers aren’t going to be able to design clothes using philosophical theories about humanity, and marketers probably won’t be able to use marketing strategies learned from the classics.
So, while it may sound cool to have a degree that includes the word “liberal,” it isn’t necessarily practical. It could actually hurt your money management skills.
Campus locations offer many different types of liberal arts classes, so it really depends on what you want to learn.
Master’s degree
A master’s degree is typically required to work in professional fields such as medicine, law, or business. These courses are usually much more rigorous than those of an undergraduate level.
Most graduate programs require you to be at least sophomore status (second year student) before you can take most classes. This means that some students may need to spend additional time outside of school learning how to handle tuition costs!
Graduate degrees also often require several years of research and study to obtain your diploma. You will have to show proof of these academic commitments by having transcripts sent from your university.
There are many types of masters’ degrees, so it is important to know what kind of certificate you want to receive.
Doctorate degree
A doctorate is also known as a doctoral degree or, less commonly, an advanced degree. It is not easy to get these degrees. You have to be very motivated to pursue them.
Most universities offer at least one professional bachelor’s degree (also referred to as a baccalaureate). With this degree you are trained in certain areas of knowledge and skills. For example, with a bachelor’s degree in business you would learn how to run a business.
Many students who earn their bachelor’s degree then look into higher level education such as the master’s degree or the Ph.D. This is because they want more specific training in their field.
A master’s degree gives you additional training that can be applied to your area of study, while a Ph.D. allows you to research and teach about different subjects. Both take longer than just earning a bachelor’s degree.
Financial considerations
A liberal arts degree does not cost as much as people assume. Even an expensive college education is more affordable than many people believe.
Many students overestimate how much money they will need to pay for tuition, fees, and living expenses. This can be very frustrating since higher tuition costs mean that it becomes harder to afford a good quality education.
Some of these additional costs include: personal loans, academic loans, room and board, transportation, entertainment, etc. It is important to know what each of these items cost so you do not waste your hard-earned money by buying without knowing.
There are several ways to check how much money it takes to attend school in this field. Some sources include financial aid offices, student loan agencies, social media, and talking to other students and alumni.
Sources also vary depending on if you are attending community or private university, if you want a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and if you are studying business administration, art and design, humanities, music, or something else.
Evaluation of your interest in studying
A liberal arts degree does not require a lot of credits, making it possible to earn one without too much financial stress. Most students choose to spend around two to three years obtaining their bachelor’s degree so that they can include more time spent earning money after college.
Most undergraduate degrees do not require many courses beyond those needed to obtain the major. For example, someone who wants to get a BA in English could easily take only enough classes to receive this degree while also spending another year or two taking additional electives.
This is an important part of being able to pay off your student loans successfully as well as having the opportunity to explore different areas of study outside of just academic ones.
Consider starting your degree program
Recent trends indicate that increasing numbers of students are choosing to pursue only liberal arts degrees. These include majors in literature, creative writing, English, film studies, art history, music, theatre, or any other field with no specific major focus but rather a general education.
Liberal arts degrees do not typically require large tuition fees as opposed to more specialized programs like business or medicine. This makes attending college less expensive overall because you get the same quality educational experience.
Furthermore, most employers look at a well-educated individual and will assume that you have knowledge in many different fields. You develop these skills through studying various subjects, so it is important to be aware of the costs associated with such an education.
To make sure that you are able to pay for all of your higher education expenses, compare student loan interest rates from several lenders. Some can even help you find lower rate loans or manage the account yourself.
Connect with an academic advisor
It is very important to connect with your academic advisors as they can help you in many ways. They can advise you about applying to other colleges, helping you decide where to go next or if that school is right for you.
They can also be helpful when it comes time to pick up where you left off after graduation. Most universities offer continuing education courses or even certification programs during or soon after college.
By connecting with your academic adviser he or she can tell you about these opportunities so you do not miss out on any great learning experiences!
Furthermore, advisers are trained in student success which helps ensure you will still find jobs once you graduate. All schools require students to have graduated high school at least, so their advice can focus more on getting into the rest of your career than giving you information about how to pay for tuition.
This article will talk more about academic advisors and what makes them different from each other.
Decide what degree you want
A liberal arts education is not only valuable to you as an individual, but it can be very helpful in giving you new insights into how to improve your life. These are sometimes referred to as general studies because they apply to many areas of your life.
A liberal arts degree will give you knowledge that applies to all fields. For example, courses like sociology, psychology, history, or political science focus more broadly on understanding people and society.
These classes look at how individuals relate to each other and influence groups around them. They also teach you about culture — how societies develop and interact with one another.
By learning about different cultures, you get insight into why some succeed while others fail. You learn from past mistakes and failures, too. This helps you avoid making the same ones in your own career.
Some examples of liberal arts degrees include those in anthropology, art and design, communication sciences, economics, English, fine arts, journalism, theater, among others.
Estimate the time it will take
The next step in your educational journey is figuring out how many credits you need to graduate. This process is different for every student, depending on what degree they want and when they expect to graduate.
Most colleges give you two years to graduate due to students dropping out or graduating late. Because of this, most universities calculate an average number of college and career ready courses per semester. They then multiply that by the number of semesters needed to reach graduation to get a total amount of college credit hours.
This method can be tricky because not all schools use the same way to determine these numbers. Some may include academic skills like reading assignments and tests directly into the calculation while others ask professors to weigh in as well.
