What is a liberal arts college? Do they solely focus on humanities-oriented subjects? How can a liberal arts degree help enrich your interdisciplinary knowledge? A common misconception surrounding liberal arts is that it’s solely an arts-focused degree. This couldn’t be further from the truth – liberal arts is a broad field that includes 50+ subjects, encompassing the humanities, social sciences, and STEM!
Liberal Arts is perfect for those students who are unsure about committing to a single area of study. As opposed to conventional degrees, a liberal arts education will endow you with practical and soft skills in creative and critical writing, research and social engagement, which will help you in a broad range of careers. Critical thinking will help you learn the ins and outs of objective analysis, interpretation, and making logical connections to bolster your rational judgement. This will help you grow in both your professional and personal life!
Liberal arts colleges tend to be smaller and have a close-knit community, giving you the opportunity to explore your interest, find welcoming spaces and even start your own club! The focused attention given to each individual student at liberal arts colleges translates into greater exposure to expert faculty, active participation in high-quality discussions and the opportunity to bolster your research through hands-on experience outside the classroom.
Liberal arts degrees are specifically made for students who want to gain multidisciplinary perspectives rather than those who want to narrow their field of interest. You’ll only be required to declare a major in your sophomore year so you can pursue courses in your chosen field of study. Through this degree, you’ll get to attend foundational courses across many different subject areas. You will be exposed to ideas and topics that range from humanities to science to maths.
So, what can you do with your interdisciplinary liberal arts degree? There are multiple career opportunities that could open up for you since businesses now require creative problem-solvers who are able to think innovatively, can work across multiple disciplines as integrative thinkers and have a solid foundation in addressing socio-political, ethical, cultural and organisational issues. Some majors that you can pursue at a liberal arts college are: Art, Biology, Music, Computer Science, American Studies, Chemistry, Literature, Philosophy, Economics, Astronomy, Environmental Studies and History.
Here’s a list of top-ranked colleges that solely focus on Liberal Arts:
