We’re guessing you’re here because you’re wondering something like “Liberal Arts? What the heck is ‘Liberal Arts’? Like, the art of studying how to be a liberal? I literally have no idea what you’re talking about.” Or maybe just more like “So … what is liberal arts?”
If you want to understand what exactly a liberal arts college is, and how it’s different from a research university, that’s what we’ll explore below. And we’ll also break down things like how to get into liberal arts colleges, and 15 reasons to consider attending a liberal arts college this year.
What is a Liberal Arts College?
Liberal arts colleges are four-year undergrad institutions that focus on the liberal arts and sciences. The liberal arts doesn’t refer to a political affiliation, as commonly misperceived. “Liberal” in this usage aligns with broad, as in a broad education in the Arts and Sciences which therefore greatly expands knowledge and thus frees the mind to think in more expansive capacities.
And, when we say a “broad” education, we don’t mean “in general,” or potentially wishy-washy or unfocused. It’s anything but.
Ok, so… a liberal arts education is broad. So…
What does liberal arts mean? What are liberal arts?
The traditional study of liberal arts encompasses the collective broad studies of:
Arts, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences
The Humanities spectrum of liberal arts includes classes in:
Communications
Philosophy
History
English
Foreign Languages
These Humanities classes bridge into studies of the The Arts such as:
Theatre
Drama
Film
Music
Dance
Fine Arts ie: Painting, Drawing, Sculpting, Ceramics
Whoa, wait! Did you say, “bridges into?” What do you mean by that?
Great question!
Liberal arts schools often offer many ways to fulfill various credits in each of these separate studies. Some of these classes are sort of combined general Humanities/Arts classes which serve as a credit fulfillment for both people majoring in either field and visitors from other disciplines looking to fulfill that credit load as well.
For example, a Humanities/Arts bridge class might look like a class called Arts in Culture, which might be a class exploring how the arts are used to express various cultural beliefs or values.
Get it? Great … moving on.
The Social Sciences includes subjects like:
Economics
Political Science
Anthropology
Psychology
Sociology
Natural Sciences include:
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science
Statistics
Mathematics
So, a liberal arts college is a college which has students focus not on only one particular field or trade, but the broader study of all of these expansive topics to produce experienced critical thinkers.
Harvard College is a prime example of the quintessential liberal arts program. Though the basic design of a liberal arts education as essential to being a well-rounded scholar originated in Ancient Greece, Harvard College refined the model of an American liberal arts education. Liberal arts programs around the globe maintain recognition standards through the Global Liberal Arts Alliance (GLAA).
What is a liberal arts degree, then?
A liberal arts degree is earned when a well-rounded liberal arts education has been completed with a certain set amount of credit fulfillments (varies program-to-program) in each of these areas, most often also including a separate list of credit fulfillments for a chosen major or personal focus among them.
For example, if you were to go to a liberal arts school and study, say, the craft of Acting, though the exact title of your degree might vary program-to-program, you would likely be getting a liberal arts degree with a major in Drama and/or Theatre with an emphasis in Acting. Regardless of the specific title of the degree (ie: Bachelor of the Arts=BA, or Bachelor of the Fine Arts=BFA), you would be required to take all your broad liberal credit requirements (which the school might call something like “core credits” or “core requirements,” though this term will vary program-to-program), plus all general Drama/Theatre major requirements, plus all requirements specifically for Acting majors.
Liberal arts majors can also major in Liberal Studies as a liberal arts major itself, which is a degree akin to a Jack/Jill/They/Them-of-all educational Arts and Sciences, if you will. It’s a degree basically saying, I know a LOT of things about a LOT of ALL of these things.
Make sense?
I know, it’s a lot to think about.
Perhaps it’s easier to see it mapped out this way:
Major in Theatre with an emphasis in Acting:
Must complete core liberal arts credit load
Must complete core Theatre major credit load
Must complete core Acting emphasis credit load
Let’s take a look at another example, say, Psychology.
You decide to go to a liberal arts school, knowing you want to study a broad array of topics, but having a particular interest in Psychology and specifically the psychology of young children. You would then be attending a liberal arts college with a major in Psychology and an emphasis in Child Development or Early Child Development (depending on the school’s degree title). You would be required to take all the liberal studies core requirements (again, this term will vary school-to-school), plus all required general Psychology requirements, and then all credit requirements for fulfillment of the Early Child Development emphasis.
Here's that map:
Major in Psychology with an emphasis in Early Child Development
Must complete core liberal arts credit load
Must complete core Psychology major credit load
Must complete core Early Child Development emphasis credit load
Capisce?
At this point, you might be starting to get the idea of what a liberal arts degree is and the basic map of how to earn one. And also, panic might be setting in for two common reasons:
Reason One: You realize you have no idea what you’d choose as your major at this point.
Reason Two: This sounds like an awful lot of classes just to learn about one specific chosen topic you’re interested in, and the rest of the general liberal arts requirements seem pointless.
Excellent! Pay attention to those feelings! They will later be your compass to help you decide which type of college might ultimately be the best fit for you!
Should I attend a liberal arts college?
If you know you want the experience of attending college and continuing a higher education, but have no idea what you currently want to major in, a liberal arts college is a great place to start! We’ll get more into the other benefits of attending one in a bit. But a paramount reason to attend is when you don’t know what your major should be or if you’re unsure the one you’ve chosen is the best fit and/or you want to explore more options. Through the core liberal arts requirements, you’ll be exploring many topics you might have little-to-no experience with. Through that exposure to these new topics, you may develop a passion you never knew you had!
On the other hand, you might know exactly what you want to study and the rest of the general requirements seem like an insane waste of time and/or money. Let’s say, from your earliest memory you have always wanted to be a Nurse. You know you want to be a Nurse. You have virtually always wanted to be a Nurse. Why then, if you know you want to be a Nurse should you need to study anything outside of Nursing?
Maybe you don’t!
In this case a specific 2-year Nursing program might be your best choice as a higher education option. Nursing degrees are typically 2 years, as an Associate Degree in Nursing (AND) or 4 years, as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). You might be chomping at the bit to get out into the field and live that lifelong dream of living your best life as a Nurse and getting through that 2-year AND program might just be the best choice for you! Afterall, it not only gets you into the field faster, but you’ll also save money by only spending 2-years in your program vs. 4! Awesome! Done! Go get it!
On the other hand, you might want to be able to earn a little more money in your job placement beyond graduation with a full BSN and gain a little more study time and life experience (plus make personal connections) while you’re doing it, and thus a 4-year program might then be the most appealing option. And yet, even still, you might not want to completely dismiss the idea of fulfilling this 4-year degree at a liberal arts college.
Why? Well, have you taken inventory of your personal values? If you haven’t, you really should.
Knowing and understanding your values will help you discover or decide not only what’s important to you in choosing your major and future career, but also how you want to spend your time and money on your educational experience. You have options for the coming years of your life as an early adult. Knowing your values will help align as you research your college programs, consider their offerings, and weigh the pros and cons of attending their program vs. another. Additionally, knowing your values will help you greatly in your college application process once you decide what you want, especially in your application writing (such as your Personal Statement) as well as in your interviews.
Ok. So are we getting clearer on: What is a liberal arts school?
I think we are.
But, wait!
What is the difference between a liberal arts college vs university?
Generally speaking, one main difference between a liberal arts college vs. university is undergrad vs. graduate: Typically, a liberal arts college is a 4-year program specifically for those seeking undergraduate degrees, and it focuses on a well-rounded education. Classes will tend to be smaller (both actual classes, and overall enrollment) compared with those at a larger research university. You’ll tend to have fewer teaching assistants at a liberal arts college, and more classroom discussion (vs larger lecture-style courses at a research university).
However, there are cases where schools are called a “university” and have a typical undergrad liberal arts program design, but also serve as a larger research university with excellent graduate degree options. The University of Montana is an example of this. Also, there are some institutions which utilize both “college” and “university” in their titles, often sparking confusion—for example, Harvard College vs Harvard University. Harvard College is the 4-year liberal arts undergraduate program and Harvard University includes the graduate program.
What are some of the best liberal arts colleges?
First a big caveat about school rankings:
Ranking systems such as US News’ are generally a bad way to figure out where you fit. The rankings are often based on things you probably don’t actually care about as a student, like retention rates, rankings have been manipulated by colleges, and there’s no real way to actually measure the strength of an institution.
That being said, here’s some of the current top liberal arts programs, in addition to Harvard’s, in no particular order. They are listed here due to consistently being considered among the top programs, though they fluctuate in popularity year-to-year:
Williams College
Carleton College
Washington and Lee University
Smith College
Wait, these schools are super selective and super expensive!
Yes. They are indeed pricey. But they’re often willing to financially help you get there. For example, Harvard is well known for covering much or most of its attendees’ financial need due to the benefit of being a private institution with a massive endowment. If they recognize you as an outstanding investment who will further collective human critical thinking and be an asset to humanity upon graduation, they are often very willing to help make it financially happen for you!
On the other hand, if you choose to attend a less rejective college, let’s again use The University of Montana for example, you will likely get in, but you will likely need to spend more time researching and earning your own scholarships and grants to figure out how to pay for college.
Then again, your highest value might be going to school in the stunning nature of Montana and that might be totally worth the full out-of-state cost. The moral: Don’t get hung up on rank. Get clear on your values, and pursue what aligns with them.
What can I do with a liberal arts degree?
A lot.
To be clear, an undergrad degree isn’t going to set you up or completely secure your job/career placement forever. It definitely won’t. But it’s a fabulous foundation.
Revisiting our Psychology student for example: in order to become a licensed Therapist or a legit Psychologist, you must advance on to your graduate degree(s). However, your undergraduate experience in this field gives you a greater shot at getting into more elite programs, among other benefits. And to begin at an entry level position beyond being a paraprofessional, such as becoming a Case Manager or working in Crisis Stabilization, etc., you will be required to have at least a bachelor’s degree.
But there are tons of things you can do with a liberal arts degree, like:
Jobs in Arts/Design/Music/Fine Arts including administrative positions
Jobs in Education
Writing and Technical Writing (such as Editing)
Marketing related positions
Business related positions
Jobs in Computer Engineering, Technology, and Software Skills
Nursing and other science-related medical positions
Human Relations Jobs
·Jobs in the fields of Statistics and Analytics
….the list goes on and on.
So …
How do I get into a liberal arts college?
The short of it is you begin the application process and the preparation for it as soon as you possibly can for the best shot at getting into your dream program. It will tend to take a good amount of writing to apply for a liberal arts program. If you dream to attend a top-ranked program such as Pomona College or Harvard, you will need to be actively focusing on it throughout your high school years. This means actively involving yourself in extracurricular activities and volunteer work, applying yourself rigorously in your scholastic approach, and building strong essays when the time comes.
As you venture off to continue your options and embark upon your college application process, here’s a little summary of potential reasons to attend for quick reference along your way!
Good Luck!
15 Reasons to Consider Attending A Liberal Arts College
You want to gain a broader, expansive global knowledge base beyond your chosen major/trade and learn critical thinking skills.
You do not yet know what you want your major/trade to be.
You have chosen a major/trade but you’re not sure you’ve made the best choice and want to explore other options.
You have a lot of interests in a lot of directions.
You want to minor in something very different from your major.
You want to minor in something very closely related to your major.
You highly value personal growth and are dedicating these 4 years to it.
You want to work on certain soft skills which you recognize need strengthening to best support your hard skills.
You want to meet people and make connections.
You value and have particular interest in bridging disciplines.
You want that traditional American college experience.
You value extracurricular activities and want to immerse yourself in them ie: Greek systems, student clubs, American and/or Global Honors Society Clubs such as Psi-Chi for both experience and resumé enhancement.
Student-to-professor ratio is generally smaller (typically fewer than 20 students per class) allowing for more one-on-one time with the instructor.
Strong mentorship is often more easily attained through the intimacy of smaller liberal arts colleges vs. larger universities.
Liberal arts programs emphasize the undergraduate experience and therefore prioritize giving undergrads tasks and opportunities only graduates might get in bigger universities, such as teaching assistant positions, lab research assistant positions, student officer positions, scholarships, etc.
Special thanks to KJ for writing this blog post
KJ Olds holds a BFA from University of Montana, an MFA from University of California, Irvine, and is currently finishing her MA in Psychology at University of Massachusetts, working toward her Doctorate (PhD) in Clinical Psychology and Research. Born and raised among the copper mines of beautiful Butte, America, KJ moved south to base in Los Angeles having an integrated career in The Arts and Sciences as a writer, educator, director, choreographer, creative producer, performing artist, and all-around helper-healer.
Top Values: Love | Integrity | Honesty
