Is a College a Liberal Arts or Research School

What Is a Liberal Arts College?

Written by Coursera • Updated on Apr eight, 2022

Liberal arts colleges differ from larger public universities and private institutions in a number of ways.

A liberal arts college is a four-twelvemonth undergraduate establishment that takes a broader approach to educational activity by focusing on the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Instead of preparing students for a specific career, such as business concern or informatics, a liberal arts curriculum encourages them to develop an appreciation for many subjects and do their critical thinking skills. As such, students tin can pursue many careers after graduating.

In this article, we'll explore more nigh liberal arts colleges, the types of subjects you can look to written report, and what y'all can practice with a liberal arts degree.

Liberal arts colleges

Liberal arts colleges base their curriculum on some of the earliest education principles, which are meant to produce students capable of thinking critically nearly the world around them. First used in the fourteenth century, "liberales artes" referred to the type of education available for gratuitous individuals at the fourth dimension. It primarily involved subjects that stimulated the mind, like arithmetic, geometry, grammer, logic, and rhetoric.

These days, liberal arts degrees are designed to ready students to solve problems, recall critically, communicate well, and collaborate with others. Liberal arts colleges differ from larger public universities and private institutions. Some common characteristics include:

• Small size: Most liberal arts colleges have less than 5,000 students in attendance at any given time.

• Classroom interaction: Cheers to the reduced student population, classes tend to be smaller in order to foster open give-and-take and spirited student-instructor interaction.

• Focus on undergraduates: Larger universities offer undergraduate and graduate degrees, but liberal arts colleges focus solely on undergraduate degrees.

• On-campus community: There are fewer function-time students and students who commute at liberal arts colleges. Instead, students tend to be total-fourth dimension and live on campus.

• Emphasis on pedagogy: Unlike other institutions, where professors are expected to focus on research and may teach a limited number of classes each semester, professors at liberal arts colleges focus on teaching offset and research second.

What is a liberal arts caste?

When you lot attend a 4-year college or university to obtain your Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, you will spend at to the lowest degree the beginning two years working through full general education requirements that are steeped in the liberal arts tradition. At offset, you will have a wide multifariousness of classes unrelated to your major and so that you develop your disquisitional faculties. From there, y'all will likely declare a major and begin working through that specific coursework.

When you attend a liberal arts college, there's a greater emphasis on the connections betwixt the unlike subjects you lot report. Y'all will still declare a major, merely even as you motility into that coursework, you lot volition continue focusing on your educational activity in a way that ideally fosters your intellectual curiosity. You lot will likely graduate with a Bachelor of Arts caste.

Learn more than: How to Become a Bachelor's Degree

Popular liberal arts majors

As with any bachelor's degree programme, you volition cull a major for your liberal arts degree, but yous volition also exist exposed to an array of other subjects—like the creative arts, history, literature, math, philosophy, psychology, scientific discipline, and sociology—so that you develop a more well-rounded educational activity.

Several popular liberal arts degrees include a focus on:

• American studies

• Biology

• Creative writing

• History

• Philosophy

• Psychology

• Folklore

What tin I exercise with a liberal arts degree?

With a liberal arts degree, you can develop a number of valuable workplace skills, like adaptability, communication, organization, fourth dimension management, problem-solving, and teamwork. Dissimilar a major which prepares yous to enter a specific career track (call up marketing or data science), you lot tin explore many options with your liberal arts degree, using the broader skills you've adult to perform different types of piece of work.

Here are simply a few types of work you tin can explore with a liberal arts degree.

Public service

A small campus with a sense of customs encourages liberal arts students to connect with others. It's not surprising, and so, that many liberal arts graduates opt for careers in public service. Areas of public service include social services, diplomacy, politics, and public policy.

Business

With excellent problem-solving skills and an ability to think critically, liberal arts graduates oft seek jobs in business. Some potential career fields include account management, client relations, marketing, and sales.

Educational activity

A liberal arts degree is meant to foster a dearest of knowledge and learning, which is why some liberal arts graduates enjoy sharing that passion with others.

Writing

With skills in reading, writing, research, and communication, liberal arts graduates make adept copywriters, content writers, editors, and journalists.

Entry-level jobs for liberal arts majors

To get a better feel for what you tin practice with a liberal arts major, here are a few entry-level jobs and the liberal arts majors that may help you lot country them.

• Business acquaintance: economics, psychology, sociology

• Events planner: communications, psychology, sociology

• Museum technician: fine art history, classics, history, languages

• Hr coordinator: psychology, sociology, communications

• Political reporter: American studies, history, political science

• Marketing specialist: communications, artistic writing, psychology

• Public relations specialist: communications, sociology

Should I attend a liberal arts college?

Your decision to attend a liberal arts college will likely depend on what kind of education you're seeking and what kind of career y'all hope to have.

Reasons why a liberal arts college might be best for you

Time to explore: A liberal arts college makes a great choice if yous have a general idea of what you want to report but haven't decided all the same. Considering this type of education exposes y'all to a broad base of subjects, you lot might gain a better understanding of potential career paths.

Foster connections: This type of college also works well if yous enjoy getting to know your beau classmates and professors. On-campus living and small form size encourage a tight-knit college community.

Develop a wide assortment of skills: A liberal arts college isn't really designed for students who desire to pursue i specific outcome after graduation. Thanks to the emphasis on an interdisciplinary focus and general knowledge, you can utilise your well-rounded options to explore a number of paths.

Reasons why another higher ed setting might be best for you

Technical fields: A liberal arts higher may not exist the all-time option if you're assault a technical field. Y'all might not larn specific skills with this type of curriculum nor gain any easily-on experience like you lot might in a vocational schoolhouse or professional plan.

Large lecture classes: If you lot enjoy the feeling of anonymity that large classes can produce, you lot may be better off going to a four-year public academy or a private academy. During your beginning  ii years, particularly, many of your general ed classes may involve larger class settings.

Flexible scheduling or cocky-paced options: Because of the small class size and emphasis on in-person learning, y'all may notice less flexibility or self-paced options when it comes to taking classes than you might from an online degree program.

Fraternities and sororities: If you're interested in joining a fraternity or sorority, you may not find them at many liberal arts colleges, though at that place are many other student groups available to join.

Examples of liberal arts colleges

If you're interested in a liberal arts college, y'all can find them spread beyond the U.s.a.. Here are a few examples of some of the elevation liberal arts colleges in the country:

• Amherst College (Amherst, Massachusetts)

• Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota)

• Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire)

• Middlebury Higher (Middlebury, Vermont)

• Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia)

• Pomona College (Claremont, California)

• Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania)

• Us Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland)

Want to learn more than about a liberal arts didactics? You can take free classes from Morehouse College and Dartmouth College on Coursera. Explore topics like Activism in Sports Civilisation and Energy Justice.

How to utilize to a liberal arts higher

The steps involved in applying to a liberal arts college are like to those involved in applying to well-nigh 4-year schools. You will likely need to:

• Take a college entrance exam similar the Human action or Saturday.

• Consummate your higher application.

• Write your required personal statement.

• Gather the necessary letters of recommendation.

• Request and submit your high school transcripts.

• Adhere your payment to awarding packages.

• Submit all of your materials before the deadline (found on each college's website).

Learn more than: Step-past-Pace Guide to Applying for College

What to know before applying to a liberal arts college

Liberal arts colleges oft take a 2d look at well-rounded applicants. To diversify your interests in high schoolhouse, participate in a sport or bring together a club. Explore the arts by taking a grade in painting, sculpture, drama, or dance, or join the yearbook or the schoolhouse newspaper. Lastly, performing volunteer work tin can send a strong signal to admissions committees. Become involved with your community by volunteering at a local animal shelter, rest home, or nutrient bank.

The selection committees at liberal arts colleges likewise value academic performance, so it'due south meliorate to go along your grades high throughout high schoolhouse. Before you lot begin studying for your college entrance test, research which test is best suited to you and give yourself enough of fourth dimension to ready.

Next steps

To explore more about a liberal arts pedagogy, go a feel for what some of your classes might be like. Bank check out various arts and humanities courses offered on Coursera by world-course colleges and universities. Many are gratuitous to enroll in, and cover a wide diverseness of subject matter and so you can larn more virtually your interests—or discover new ones.

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Written by Coursera • Updated on Apr 8, 2022

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are brash to carry boosted inquiry to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional person, and financial goals.

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Source: https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-a-liberal-arts-college

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