Over the past few years, there has been an uproar about whether or not liberal arts education is worth it. Some claim that all students should only pursue professional degrees after high school, and that universities are just trying to keep up with higher learning by offering more courses focused on the humanities.
Others say that students should focus less on studying the humanities and instead learn about science or business so they can succeed in life. They believe that people who attend college mainly for the artistic side of things will never achieve success because they are looking for something deeper than that.
Both opinions have their merits but one thing is clear: we’re running out of room at schools that offer a wide range of liberal arts programs. More colleges are dropping art classes and reducing diversity as part of their mission to cater to wealthy parents who pay top dollar for a prestigious education.
There are only so many resources in the world, and investing in education seems like a good idea until you realize how valuable it is. It costs money to study anything beyond your major, which makes it increasingly difficult for young people without rich families to get a quality education.
Liberal arts colleges play an important role in educating the next generation of leaders. This article will talk about some reasons why.
Reasons students choose a liberal arts degree
One of the biggest reasons why people choose to go into fields like sociology, political science or history is because they want to learn more about humanity. These are all areas that focus heavily on studying how humans interact with each other and what makes individuals and groups of people do certain things.
People who study these areas typically look at how power is distributed among different factions in society, how societal norms evolve over time and how leadership styles work.
These are all important concepts to understand as we move through our lives. Who leads a group? What traits make someone good leader? Why are some leaders popular while others are not?
By understanding these theories, you will be able to identify new leaders and help them succeed in their position. You can also figure out if someone is a good leader by looking at their actions and if those actions are positive or negative for the individual organization and its employees.
Degree programs available
All liberal arts colleges offer at least one degree or another, but not all degrees are considered equal. Some bachelor’s degrees aim to prepare you for career paths that don’t require much academic knowledge, while others are designed to equip graduates with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.
A bachelor of science in business is different from a BA in communications, which is different than a BSN, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing. A lot of these departments have you studying something related to business (marketing, finance, etc.), communication studies (speaking, writing, listening), or nursing (medical field).
But what about those students who want more? Those people who think they want an education focused on the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences? They do exist!
There are several ways to go about getting this type of educational experience. The most popular way is by attending a school that offers both undergraduate and graduate certificates. These typically cost less money than a traditional bachelor’s degree, making it accessible to anyone who wants it. For example, there are over 50 accredited online certificate programs in leadership being offered right now!
Another option is to attend a community college and transfer into a four-year university as an undergrader. This can help you save lots of money, and may even be free if you pay out of pocket. You also get to explore various universities without committing fully to anything.
Popular liberal arts degree programs
One of the most popular liberal arts degrees is that of Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). These schools offer students the chance to explore various artistic mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, creative writing, and more.
Many BFA’s require four years to graduate, but some are only two years long. Either way, all BAFA students must take at least one year off to pursue other opportunities. This gives graduates time to focus on their art form while also establishing them as an artist.
Some artists find success with their work later in life, so this makes sense. The college student body and public perception of BFA’s play a large part in how successful an artist becomes. If students can help ease any worries about whether or not being an artist will be profitable, then offering this degree program is a smart move.
Another popular major for BAFA’s is media production. Students gain knowledge of television production, film production, podcasting, and more. All of these areas contribute heavily to the entertainment industry, which again raises eyebrows for potential employers regarding if an individual can handle their job effectively.
There are many ways to apply what you have learned from your bachelor’t degree into another field, so don’t feel like you need to go straight onto the next career.
Degree programs are transferable
Transferring to a new school can be tough, which is why it’s important to know how many universities there are in the world of liberal arts. Some colleges offer very similar courses, making it easy to stay within your degree field.
But others have completely unrelated programs that require you to take other courses to continue studying what you want. Both types of schools make for great opportunities as they expose you to different areas and ideas.
Many students feel limited due to their field of study, so looking into whether or not this is you will help you find your fit at college.
What is a median GPA for liberal arts majors?
Median is another way to measure how expensive or affordable an education at a specific school is. The average is calculated by taking all of the schools’ degrees and then adding up all of their prices and dividing that number by total numbers.
The price per degree at most universities is around $50,000-$60,000. So, instead of averaging the cost per degree, we look at which schools are within this range. A university with a less expensive degree is given one star, while ones that are more expensive get two stars!
This method removes some important information, however. For example, students who are very wealthy can go to college without thinking about whether it is worth its cost. Students who cannot afford tuition will be influenced by the high costs if not actively looking into other options.
What are some popular liberal arts majors?
One of the most well-known major areas is communication, or what many refer to as “the media”. This includes studying how to speak clearly, write effective essays, articles, and messages, and learn about different types of media such as blogs, newspapers, magazines, television, and social media.
Another important area of study at liberal arts colleges is philosophy. Philosophy students look at how people think, why they believe certain things, and the fundamentals of good reasoning.
Other departments that have become increasingly popular include sociology, which looks into how individuals relate to each other and society as a whole; anthropology, which studies human cultures throughout history and current trends; art and design, which explore creativity and expression through various mediums; and literature, which analyzes both fiction and nonfiction books.
There you have it! Some examples of how to choose a college major related to the field of liberal arts. If you are passionate about these areas, then consider them as an option when choosing where to go after high school.
What is the starting salary for a liberal arts major?
The number of four-year colleges that teach the study of liberal arts, or humanities as they are sometimes called, has dwindled in recent years. This is problematic because studies related to the humanities have significant payoffs after college.
It can be difficult to find jobs that require only an undergraduate degree if you’re looking to enter the workforce immediately. More and more companies use educational backgrounds as a factor in hiring, so it is important to be aware of what fields offer which degrees.
A general bachelor’s degree will not necessarily get you the position you want, so making sure your selected field is one that can help you in the future is crucial. An associate’s degree in something like business can also prove very helpful, but going into the hard sciences such as biology, chemistry, and physics can cost you money in tuition fees.
What is the average debt for a liberal arts degree?
The cost of attending college has been increasing steadily, even as tuition at major universities has increased more slowly or even decreased slightly in recent years.
That’s why it can feel like there are never enough resources to take care of all of your educational expenses. It’s also what prompted us to do our most expensive school comparison here!
But before you dive into the costs of individual schools, it’s important to have an idea of how much money you should be expecting to spend on education. Unfortunately, averages can sometimes conceal substantial variance between students at a given school.
So, to determine how much funding is really appropriate for each student at any specific institution, we need to look closer at internal data.
