What Does a Liberal Arts Degree Look Like General Studies Degree

A liberal arts degree includes the study of history, literature, writing, philosophy, sociology, psychology, creative arts and more. Liberal arts programs are designed to assistance yous codify compelling arguments, communicate well and solve problems.

Studying liberal arts tin equip you "with a myriad of colors to pigment with to create a vibrant career picture," said Torian Parker, a career advisor at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). That's considering the degree programs are designed to develop soft skills such as:

• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Critical Thinking
• Effective communication

"With these skills, liberal arts (majors) have a unique opportunity to enter varying career paths through a holistic arroyo," Parker said. Earning a liberal arts caste can be an effective way to prove employers y'all have the skills necessary to be an nugget in a range of fields.

What Exactly Does Liberal Arts Mean?

Liberal arts is a broad term that can exist comprehend everything from theater arts to economics.

Every bit a field of study, these subjects are intended to give yous general noesis and the ability to call up critically and learn whatsoever field of study – instead of specific skills needed for a technical profession. Instead, liberal arts sharpen your research, writing and disquisitional thinking skills.

As to what you lot can do with a caste in liberal arts, the benefits get in beyond the specific subject knowledge from a particular caste. When it's time to enter the job marketplace, liberal arts majors have a huge array of possibilities available to them, including many in scientific discipline, applied science, engineering and mathematics (Stalk) and business.

What is a Liberal Arts Degree Practiced For?

With further training, nearly all liberal arts degrees tin lead to careers in education, allowing graduates –  with the right qualifications – to share their passion with others. These degrees also lend themselves well to further studies and research. Many liberal arts majors are also interested in giving dorsum and connecting with people, which leads them to careers in politics, public service and other helping professions.

These are some of the more traditional paths for liberal arts majors, but graduates tin can be constitute in nearly all industries and professions. Their ability to think critically, adapt quickly and solve issues is in need in STEM and business fields where liberal arts graduates may discover their niche in areas such as marketing, sales, strategy or relationship-driven work such every bit customer relations and business relationship management.

Their skills in reading, inquiry and making complex information digestible tin can help them go up to speed apace on technical subjects, even when they may not have a formal technical background.

Liberal arts majors oft know how to connect with others and can excel at calculation the "human being touch" to whichever field they enter. "Liberal arts (majors) approach issues in the workplace and the globe from a unique vantage point by tapping into the humanistic qualities and dynamics at times overlooked due to a narrowed and unmarried arroyo to problem-solving," Parker said.

What Jobs Tin You lot Become with a Liberal Arts Degree?

You can look frontward to inbound a number of careers in business organisation, regime, didactics and healthcare thanks to the transferable skills a liberal arts educational activity provides. Below are some popular majors and career paths you can consider.

Communication

With a communication degree, you can learn key skills to piece of work in industries such as journalism, public relations, advertisement and more than. Coursework in public speaking and graphic design helps yous come to work prepared to deliver presentations, create publications and reports, and convey messages through digital media.

Some jobs in the communications field include:

• Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Manager: Heave interest in various products and services across industries as an advert, promotions or marketing manager. Professionals in these roles plan paid advertising campaigns across radio, television, spider web and other media; develop corporate or product-based websites and create promotional campaigns. The median almanac salary for advertising, promotions and marketing managers was $141,490 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• Graphic Designer: Are you able to tell a compelling story through infographics and photography? Graphic designers draw upon their inventiveness and artistic skills to create visual concepts for corporate websites, media outlets and print publications. They earned a median annual bacon of $53,380 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Public Relations Specialist: Are y'all interested in shaping the public perception of a company, organization or product? Drawing upon their stiff speaking and writing skills, public relations professionals arts and crafts media releases and develop social media programs to increase awareness and measure out engagement. They earned a median annual salary of $62,810 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS.

Notice what else you can practise with a communications caste.

English

English degree majors specializing in English language language and literature take courses in history, social science and literary theory and are prepared for jobs every bit writers, historians or museum curators. With related paths such as a bachelor's in creative writing or journalism, you can focus on storytelling in nonfiction, news, fiction, screenwriting or poetry genres.

The curriculum is also designed to gear up y'all for jobs in public relations, film, theater and advertising, to name a few.

Some jobs in the field include:

• Editor: Do you exhibit strong writing skills and attention to particular? Editors piece of work in a diverseness of industries and support both print and online publications. They earned a median salary of $63,400 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Technical Writer: Technical writers create instruction manuals, web content and other supporting documents for products and services. They earned a median bacon of $74,650 in 2020, according to BLS.

Find what else yous tin can practice with an English caste.

History

Understanding the past is key to helping organizations interpret significant historical events and gear up for the future. Drawing upon your strong inquiry and analytical skills, you may exist able to piece of work as a curator, historical interpreter or policy advisor with the help of a history degree.

Although history majors oft piece of work in politics, they are also qualified to work in other roles in business organization, journalism, constabulary or education. A major in history tin can set you lot for law school, as well.

Some jobs in the history field include:

• Archivist, Curator and Museum Worker: Archivists review, process, catalog and preserve historically valuable records. Curators oversee fine art collections and historical artifacts and may present their research on behalf of an establishment. Museum technicians and conservators restore objects and documents and set museum collections and exhibits, co-ordinate to BLS. They earned a median salary of $52,140 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Historian: Historians research, analyze, interpret and write about the past past studying historical documents and sources, co-ordinate to BLS. Yous can find piece of work in museums, archives, historical societies and inquiry organizations. Historians earned a median salary of $63,100 in 2020, according to BLS.

Discover what else you can do with a history caste.

Psychology

The written report of the human listen, a psychology degree focuses on human behavior and how to apply concepts to social and organizational bug that bear upon us globally. You lot can look forward to pursuing roles in human resource, market research and social services. Some jobs in the field include:

• Human Resource Specialist: If you lot are interested in resolving employee conflicts, interviewing, hiring and retaining employees, yous might enjoy working equally a human resource specialist. To exist successful, you need stiff interpersonal and advice skills. Human resources specialists earned a median salary of $63,490 in 2020, according to BLS.
  Market Research Analyst: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills help market place research analysts determine what products people desire, who will buy them and what price they are willing to pay. They earned a median salary of $65,810 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder and Mental Health Counselor: In this part, you tin help individuals recover from alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, mental health issues or other mental or behavioral problems. They earned a median salary of $47,660 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS. Additional education and licensure is usually required for these roles.

Detect what else y'all can do with a psychology degree.

Sociology

Focused on social behavior and how people behave in groups, folklore coursework includes history, religion, geography and social science inquiry, to name a few. In this field, you can proceeds an understand of society's historical, economical and political bug and how people can work together to solve problems. Roles open to folklore majors include jobs in social services, criminal justice or public health. Some positions in the field include:

• Health Educators and Community Health Worker: To be successful in one of these roles, you demand stiff interpersonal and communications skills to develop and evaluate health programs and create materials on various wellness topics. Health educators and community health workers work in hospitals, authorities and non-turn a profit organizations. They earned a median annual salary of $48,140 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS.
• Social and Community Service Manager: Working in i of the "helping professions" requires you to identify and evaluate programs that meet the needs of special populations such as veterans, the elderly or children. You lot may also focus on serving people afflicted past substance abuse or poverty. They earned a median annual bacon of $69,600 in 2020, according to BLS.

Observe what else y'all tin can do with a sociology degree.

What are the Benefits of a Liberal Arts Educational activity?

Pursuing a degree in the liberal arts helps yous succeed in a fast-paced world that requires individuals to develop artistic solutions today to solve the circuitous challenges of the hereafter.

It's no surprise, and so, that business leaders are speaking out in defense of these foundational subjects. Harvard Business Review looked at three books about how the humanities prepare students. Humanities, the books' authors contended, are almost the ability to learn, ask the right questions, identify the real problem and never lose sight of real homo needs.

An Associate of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) survey found that the learning outcomes of contemporary liberal pedagogy, including the liberal arts, are valued as "somewhat" or "very important" to nine out of 10 employers.

"Learners need a strong foundation in the liberal arts, which provides a foundation for enhancing their verbal and written communications, critical thinking and ethics for career success," said Tom Patria, a career advisor at SNHU.

Soft skills are essential to being a good leader, communicator and critical thinker and are often developed in full general education courses. The implications of a liberal arts background extend far beyond that, though.

Strange languages teach some other way to view language itself. This translates into an employee who tin can move seamlessly betwixt computers, employers and customers, better agreement each perspective, limitations and needs. Philosophy encourages logic and inquiry, which translates into an employee who effectively assesses unexpected situations.

Does Liberal Arts Include Science?

Basic math and science are too office of the traditional arts. The problem solving, analysis and observation skills established in those subjects are essential for a lasting career when artificial intelligence (AI) and other new technologies are causing hereafter changes in the workplace.

The Time to come of Liberal Arts in the Workforce

Consider this – the chore market changes apace, and the nigh in-demand skills in the future may very well be the humanities. Automation and AI are affecting more and more industries. But skills like critical thinking, relationship-building and storytelling resist automation and will keep to be needed in the workforce.

The Humanities Indicators report from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences shows that the number of humanities degrees conferred in 2018 was 2% below the previous year and xiv.1% below the highest number of degrees conferred in a unmarried twelvemonth – back in 2012. And yet, competencies developed through foundational subjects, such as getting a liberal arts degree, thing more ever.

Automation and AI take limits because of unanticipated nuances to a task or its man and emotional elements. AI needs capable humans to manage and pull the all-time from it.

Today'due south highly digitized, AI-supported environments have a heightened need for employees with interpersonal skills, nimble minds and the ability to work alongside machine learning.

AI is being used to a remarkable effect in nearly every sector. For example, companies in the healthcare and insurance industries can gather data to decide customers' rates via the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that capture ane's driving and lifestyle habits. A virtual claims adjuster can even minimize fraud equally it handles settlement and payment following an accident.

And yet, a frightened driver calling their car insurance company from a ditch on the side of the highway wants to speak to a human. That customer service representative must be able to heed sympathetically, gather the relevant information and clearly instruct the driver on immediate next steps. At that moment, the insurance company needs employees with problem-solving and communication skills.

In a doctor's role or infirmary, AI can collect and process more than comprehensive and accurate data than a human could ever hope to. But rather than supersede the nurses and office administrators, this automatic capability frees them to focus on what they do all-time — educating patients and providing unique support and communication.

Pressure to compete for Stem careers continues to grow in a earth increasingly supported past and reliant on technology. Liberal arts studies emphasize enduring skills in an era when technology and automation volition increasingly supplant workers, according to Dr. Ruth Lahti, acquaintance vice president of liberal arts and social sciences at SNHU.

Soft skills are still relevant in the workplace, and students who tin can demonstrate their inventiveness in areas such as writing, advice, critical thinking and collaboration, volition keep to be attractive to employers. There is a growing tendency for experts in the "digital humanities," who tin bring digital resource into their research, teaching and publishing to make scholarship more than accessible to others, Lahti said.

Preparing for the Workforce

Although they're well-equipped for many unlike roles, liberal arts majors may have a less clear-cut road to the perfect task than some graduates. Hither are some suggestions for liberal arts majors entering the job market.

• Build Your Personal Brand: Liberal arts students are adept at storytelling and communicating complex ideas. When it'south fourth dimension to enter the job market they demand to harness tho
  se skills to tell their own story, and they can exercise that through establishing a personal make.
• Diversify Your Skill Set: Since liberal arts majors can be helpful in many fields, ane style to stand up out from other applicants is to learn new topics and skills transferrable to your industry or system of interest. For example, if y'all're a advice major looking to work for a technology visitor, you might consider building on your vocabulary and agreement of the subject area with an Information technology elective. You could also subscribe to technology journals to stay upward-to-date on industry news.
• Recollect Outside of the Box: Be willing to explore different industries with an open up listen and proceeds new skills and knowledge. Publishing houses are not the only employer of English majors; your groundwork and willingness to learn tin be benign in other job markets also. "As a liberal arts major myself, how you apply your didactics to your career growth is entirely up to y'all," saidRyan Bernier, a benefits specialist at SNHU and former career advisor.

Why Do Employers Like a Liberal Arts Education?

In his book, "You Can Do Annihilation: The Surprising Power of a 'Useless' Liberal Arts Education," Forbes contributing editor George Anders writes that companies look for five key qualities in potential employees:

1. Eagerness to tackle uncharted areas
2. Power to solve murky problems
3. Well-honed analytic methods
4. Keen awareness of group dynamics
5. Ability to inspire and persuade others

"It merely seemed equally if there was this tremendous disconnect between public rhetoric that said 'you've got to get the Stem route and there is no road but Stalk,' and then all of these interesting new job openings that were coming up for people with liberal arts degrees," Anders said in a United states of america TODAY College story. "Information technology was this subconscious strength of the economy that nobody wanted to write about or talk almost."

A degree can change your life. Find the SNHU liberal arts plan that can best help you come across your goals.

Rebecca LeBoeuf 'eighteen is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Source: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/what-is-a-liberal-arts-degree

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