Surprising Things You Can Do With a Liberal Arts Degree

A liberal arts degree includes the written report of history, literature, writing, philosophy, folklore, psychology, creative arts and more than. Liberal arts programs are designed to aid you lot formulate 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 counselor at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). That's because the degree programs are designed to develop soft skills such as:

• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Critical Thinking
• Constructive communication

"With these skills, liberal arts (majors) take a unique opportunity to enter varying career paths through a holistic approach," Parker said. Earning a liberal arts degree can be an constructive way to show employers you 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 tin be comprehend everything from theater arts to economics.

As a subject, these subjects are intended to give you general knowledge and the ability to think critically and larn whatever subject – instead of specific skills needed for a technical profession. Instead, liberal arts sharpen your research, writing and critical thinking skills.

Every bit to what you can do with a degree in liberal arts, the benefits get in beyond the specific discipline knowledge from a particular caste. When it's time to enter the job market, liberal arts majors have a huge assortment of possibilities available to them, including many in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) and business concern.

What is a Liberal Arts Degree Good For?

With further training, nearly all liberal arts degrees can lead to careers in education, allowing graduates –  with the right qualifications – to share their passion with others. These degrees besides lend themselves well to further studies and inquiry. Many liberal arts majors are also interested in giving back 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 be found in nearly all industries and professions. Their power to remember critically, adapt quickly and solve problems is in demand in Stem and business fields where liberal arts graduates may find their niche in areas such as marketing, sales, strategy or human relationship-driven work such equally customer relations and account direction.

Their skills in reading, research and making complex information digestible can help them get up to speed rapidly on technical subjects, fifty-fifty when they may not have a formal technical groundwork.

Liberal arts majors oftentimes know how to connect with others and can excel at adding the "homo touch" to whichever field they enter. "Liberal arts (majors) approach bug in the workplace and the world from a unique vantage point by tapping into the humanistic qualities and dynamics at times overlooked due to a narrowed and single arroyo to problem-solving," Parker said.

What Jobs Can Y'all Become with a Liberal Arts Degree?

You tin expect forward to inbound a number of careers in concern, government, education and healthcare thanks to the transferable skills a liberal arts education provides. Below are some popular majors and career paths you tin can consider.

Communication

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

Some jobs in the communications field include:

• Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Director: Boost interest in diverse products and services across industries as an advertising, promotions or marketing manager. Professionals in these roles plan paid advertising campaigns across radio, tv, web and other media; develop corporate or product-based websites and create promotional campaigns. The median annual salary for advert, 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 describe upon their creativity 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 yous interested in shaping the public perception of a visitor, system or product? Drawing upon their strong speaking and writing skills, public relations professionals craft media releases and develop social media programs to increase awareness and measure engagement. They earned a median annual salary of $62,810 in 2020, according to BLS.

Discover what else y'all can practice with a communications degree.

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 equally writers, historians or museum curators. With related paths such equally a bachelor'due south in creative writing or journalism, you lot can focus on storytelling in nonfiction, news, fiction, screenwriting or verse genres.

The curriculum is besides designed to set you for jobs in public relations, film, theater and advertising, to proper noun a few.

Some jobs in the field include:

• Editor: Do you exhibit strong writing skills and attention to detail? Editors work in a multifariousness 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 education manuals, spider web content and other supporting documents for products and services. They earned a median salary of $74,650 in 2020, co-ordinate to BLS.

Find what else you can do with an English language degree.

History

Understanding the past is key to helping organizations interpret significant historical events and ready for the hereafter. Drawing upon your potent enquiry and belittling skills, y'all may be able to work as a curator, historical interpreter or policy advisor with the help of a history degree.

Although history majors often work in politics, they are also qualified to work in other roles in business, journalism, law or education. A major in history can prepare you for law school, equally well.

Some jobs in the history field include:

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

Discover what else you tin can do with a history degree.

Psychology

The study of the human mind, a psychology degree focuses on human behavior and how to apply concepts to social and organizational issues that affect us globally. Yous tin can look forward to pursuing roles in man resources, market research and social services. Some jobs in the field include:

• Human Resources Specialist: If you are interested in resolving employee conflicts, interviewing, hiring and retaining employees, you might enjoy working as a human resource specialist. To exist successful, you need strong interpersonal and communication skills. Homo resources specialists earned a median salary of $63,490 in 2020, according to BLS.
  Market place Research Analyst: Strong belittling and critical thinking skills help market research analysts determine what products people want, who will buy them and what toll 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 role, you lot can help individuals recover from alcoholism, drug habit, eating disorders, mental health issues or other mental or behavioral problems. They earned a median salary of $47,660 in 2020, according to BLS. Additional educational activity and licensure is usually required for these roles.

Notice what else you tin do with a psychology degree.

Folklore

Focused on social beliefs and how people comport in groups, sociology coursework includes history, religion, geography and social science enquiry, to name a few. In this field, you lot tin can gain an sympathize of society'south historical, economic and political problems and how people can work together to solve bug. Roles open to sociology majors include jobs in social services, criminal justice or public health. Some positions in the field include:

• Wellness Educators and Community Health Worker: To be successful in one of these roles, you need strong interpersonal and communications skills to develop and evaluate health programs and create materials on various health topics. Health educators and community health workers piece of work in hospitals, government and non-profit organizations. They earned a median annual salary of $48,140 in 2020, according to BLS.
• Social and Community Service Managing director: Working in 1 of the "helping professions" requires you to identify and evaluate programs that encounter the needs of special populations such equally veterans, the elderly or children. You may likewise focus on serving people afflicted by substance abuse or poverty. They earned a median annual salary of $69,600 in 2020, according to BLS.

Observe what else you can exercise with a sociology degree.

What are the Benefits of a Liberal Arts Didactics?

Pursuing a degree in the liberal arts helps you succeed in a fast-paced world that requires individuals to develop creative solutions today to solve the complex challenges of the future.

It'south no surprise, and then, that business organization leaders are speaking out in defence of these foundational subjects. Harvard Business Review looked at three books about how the humanities ready students. Humanities, the books' authors contended, are nigh the ability to larn, ask the correct questions, identify the real trouble and never lose sight of real man needs.

An Associate of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) survey plant that the learning outcomes of gimmicky liberal education, including the liberal arts, are valued as "somewhat" or "very important" to nine out of ten 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 counselor at SNHU.

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

Foreign languages teach some other manner to view linguistic communication itself. This translates into an employee who can move seamlessly betwixt computers, employers and customers, improve understanding each perspective, limitations and needs. Philosophy encourages logic and inquiry, which translates into an employee who effectively assesses unexpected situations.

Does Liberal Arts Include Scientific discipline?

Basic math and scientific discipline are also part 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 time to come changes in the workplace.

The Future of Liberal Arts in the Workforce

Consider this – the job market changes chop-chop, and the most in-demand skills in the future may very well be the humanities. Automation and AI are affecting more and more industries. Simply 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 twelvemonth and 14.1% below the highest number of degrees conferred in a single year – dorsum in 2012. And yet, competencies developed through foundational subjects, such as getting a liberal arts caste, matter more than ever.

Automation and AI have limits because of unanticipated nuances to a task or its homo and emotional elements. AI needs capable humans to manage and pull the best from it.

Today'southward 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 outcome in nearly every sector. For example, companies in the healthcare and insurance industries can gather information to determine customers' rates via the Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that capture one's driving and lifestyle habits. A virtual claims adjuster can even minimize fraud as 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 being. That customer service representative must exist able to listen sympathetically, gather the relevant data and clearly instruct the commuter on immediate next steps. At that moment, the insurance company needs employees with problem-solving and advice skills.

In a dr.'s office or infirmary, AI tin can collect and procedure more comprehensive and accurate data than a human could ever hope to. But rather than replace the nurses and role administrators, this automated capability frees them to focus on what they practise best — educating patients and providing unique support and communication.

Force per unit area to compete for STEM careers continues to grow in a world increasingly supported by and reliant on technology. Liberal arts studies emphasize enduring skills in an era when engineering and automation will increasingly replace workers, according to Dr. Ruth Lahti, associate vice president of liberal arts and social sciences at SNHU.

Soft skills are still relevant in the workplace, and students who can demonstrate their inventiveness in areas such equally writing, advice, critical thinking and collaboration, will continue to be attractive to employers. At that place is a growing trend for experts in the "digital humanities," who can bring digital resources into their inquiry, teaching and publishing to brand scholarship more than accessible to others, Lahti said.

Preparing for the Workforce

Although they're well-equipped for many dissimilar roles, liberal arts majors may have a less clear-cutting road to the perfect chore than some graduates. Hither are some suggestions for liberal arts majors inbound the task market place.

• Build Your Personal Brand: Liberal arts students are adept at storytelling and communicating complex ideas. When it'south fourth dimension to enter the job marketplace they demand to harness tho
  se skills to tell their own story, and they tin practice that through establishing a personal make.
• Diversify Your Skill Set: Since liberal arts majors can be helpful in many fields, one way to stand out from other applicants is to learn new topics and skills transferrable to your industry or organization of interest. For case, if you lot're a communication major looking to work for a technology company, you might consider building on your vocabulary and understanding of the discipline with an Information technology elective. You could also subscribe to engineering journals to stay upwards-to-engagement on industry news.
• Recall Outside of the Box: Be willing to explore different industries with an open mind and gain new skills and knowledge. Publishing houses are not the only employer of English majors; your groundwork and willingness to learn can be benign in other chore markets as well. "As a liberal arts major myself, how you apply your education to your career growth is entirely upward to you," saidRyan Bernier, a benefits specialist at SNHU and former career advisor.

Why Do Employers Like a Liberal Arts Education?

In his book, "You Can Practise Anything: The Surprising Ability 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 bug
3. Well-honed analytic methods
4. Keen awareness of group dynamics
5. Ability to inspire and persuade others

"It only seemed as if there was this tremendous disconnect between public rhetoric that said 'y'all've got to go the Stalk route and there is no route but Stem,' and then all of these interesting new job openings that were coming up for people with liberal arts degrees," Anders said in a U.s.a. TODAY College story. "It was this subconscious strength of the economic system that nobody wanted to write about or talk about."

A degree tin change your life. Find the SNHU liberal arts programme that tin best aid you lot meet your goals.

Rebecca LeBoeuf 'eighteen is a author 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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