We assume you’re here with a question along the lines of “Liberal Arts? What on earth is “Liberal Arts”? For example, the art of learning how to be liberal? I genuinely don’t understand what you’re discussing. Or perhaps more simply, “So … what is liberal arts?”
In this Guide, we will discuss the definition of a liberal arts college and how it differs from a research institution. We’ll also go over topics like how to get into liberal arts colleges and careers after pursuing a liberal arts degree.
Table of Contents
What is a Liberal Arts College?
A liberal arts college is a four-year undergraduate school that emphasizes the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences in order to take a more comprehensive approach to education. A liberal arts curriculum encourages you to cultivate an appreciation for a wide range of courses and exercise critical thinking techniques rather than preparing you for a particular vocation, like business or computer technology. As a result, you have a wide range of job options following graduation.
The curriculum of liberal arts colleges is founded on some of the oldest educational tenets, which aim to develop critical thinking skills in their pupils. The term “liberales artes” was first used in the fourteenth century to describe the kind of education that was then accessible to free citizens. Mathematics, language, logic, rhetoric, and other mentally stimulating subjects were its main focus.
The Humanities spectrum of liberal arts includes classes in:
- Communications
- Philosophy
- History
- Foreign Languages
- English
The Social Sciences includes subjects like:
- Economics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Sociology
Natural Sciences include:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Statistics
- Mathematics
- Environmental Science
In order to develop seasoned critical thinkers, liberal arts colleges need their students to concentrate on a wide range of subjects rather than just one specific field or trade.
An excellent illustration of the ideal liberal arts curriculum is Harvard College. Although the fundamental idea of a liberal arts education as a means of developing into a well-rounded scholar dates back to Ancient Greece, Harvard College improved the American liberal arts education model. The Global Liberal Arts Alliance (GLAA) is responsible for maintaining recognition requirements for liberal arts programs worldwide.
How to Define Liberal Arts?
Today’s liberal arts degrees are meant to help students think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, and work with others. Liberal arts colleges are not the same as private or larger public universities. Here are a few typical traits:
- Classroom engagement: Because there are fewer students, courses are typically smaller to encourage candid conversation and lively student-teacher interaction.
- Small size: At any given time, the majority of liberal arts colleges enrol fewer than 5,000 students.
- Emphasis on teaching: Professors in liberal arts colleges prioritize teaching over research, in contrast to other institutions where they may be required to concentrate on research and teach a small number of classes each semester.
What is a Liberal Arts Education?
In order to get a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, you must complete general education requirements entrenched in the liberal arts tradition for at least the first two years of your four-year college or university education. To hone your critical thinking skills, you will initially enroll in a variety of classes that are unrelated to your major. Most likely, you’ll declare a major and start completing that particular course of study.
A liberal arts college places more of a focus on the relationships between the various areas you study. Although you will still declare a major, you will continue to concentrate on your education in a way that ideally stimulates your intellectual curiosity as you progress through that coursework. It is probable that you will earn a Bachelor of Arts degree upon graduation.
Popular majors in the liberal arts
Like any bachelor’s degree program, you will select a liberal arts major, but in order to provide you with a more well-rounded education, you will also be exposed to a variety of other disciplines, such as the creative arts, history, literature, math, philosophy, psychology, science, and sociology.
Several popular liberal arts degrees include a focus on:
- American studies
- Biology
- Creative writing
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Sociology
- History
What is a liberal arts degree, then?
When a well-rounded liberal arts education is completed with a specific number of credit fulfillments (which vary from program to program) in each of these areas—typically with a separate list of credit fulfillments for a chosen major or personal focus among them—a liberal arts degree is awarded.
For example, if you were to go to a liberal arts school and study, say, Psychology.
Knowing that you want to study a wide range of subjects but with a special interest in psychology—more especially, the psychology of young children—you choose to attend a liberal arts school. After that, you would be enrolled in a liberal arts college where you would major in psychology and focus on either early childhood development or child development, depending on the degree title offered by the institution. In order to fulfill the Early Child Development concentration, you would need to complete all of the liberal studies core requirements (again, this will vary from school to school), as well as all of the general psychology requirements.
The whole process will look as follows:
- You must complete one core liberal arts credit.
- Must finish the core credit load for psychology majors.
- must finish the fundamental coursework with an emphasis on early childhood development.
You may now be beginning to understand the basics of obtaining a liberal arts degree and what it entails. Additionally, there are two frequent reasons why panic can start:
- Reason 1: You acknowledge that you currently have no idea what you would major in.
- Reason 2: The remaining general liberal arts requirements seem unnecessary, and this seems like a ridiculous number of classes to learn about one particular topic you’ve picked that interests you.
Fantastic! Take note of those emotions! Later on, they will serve as your compass to assist you in determining what kind of college would be the most suitable for you.
Should I attend a liberal arts college?
A liberal arts institution is a fantastic place to start if you know you want the experience of going to college and extending your education but are unsure of your current major. In a moment, we will go deeper into the additional advantages of attending one. However, if you’re not sure what your major should be, aren’t convinced that the one you’ve selected is the greatest fit, or want to look into other alternatives, this is a compelling reason to enroll. The fundamental liberal arts requirements will expose you to a wide range of subjects in which you may be unfamiliar. You can discover a passion you never realized you had as a result of being exposed to these novel subjects!
Reasons why a liberal arts college might be best for you
- Time to explore: A liberal arts college makes a great choice if you have a general idea of what you want to study but haven’t decided yet. Because this type of education exposes you to a broad base of subjects, you might better understand potential career paths.
- Build relationships: If you like getting to know your professors and fellow students, this kind of college is a good fit for you. Small class sizes and on-campus living foster a close-knit college community.
- Develop a variety of abilities: The purpose of a liberal arts institution is not to prepare students for a particular career path. The emphasis on general knowledge and an interdisciplinary focus allows you to use your well-rounded options to pursue a variety of avenues.
Reasons why you might do better in a different higher education setting
- Technical fields: If you’re determined to be in a technical field, a liberal arts institution might not be your best bet. You might not learn specific skills or gain practical experience from this kind of curriculum as you might in a professional program or vocational school.
- Large lecture classes: You could be better off attending a four-year public or private university if you like the sense of anonymity that comes with large lectures. Throughout your first two years, a lot of your general education classes could have bigger class sizes.
- Fraternities and sororities: While there are numerous other student organizations that you can join, many liberal arts universities may not provide fraternities or sororities for you to join.
Difference between a liberal arts college and University?
Undergrad vs. graduate is typically the primary distinction between a liberal arts college and a university: A liberal arts college is usually a four-year institution that focuses on a well-rounded education and is designed especially for students pursuing undergraduate degrees. In comparison to those at a larger research university, classrooms will typically be smaller, both in terms of actual enrollment and class size. In contrast to bigger lecture-style classes at a research university, liberal arts colleges typically have more classroom discussions and fewer teaching assistants.
Nonetheless, there are instances in which colleges are referred to as “universities” and offer a standard liberal arts undergraduate curriculum while also functioning as a major research university with top-notch graduate degree options. One illustration of this is the University of Montana. Additionally, some organizations include both “college” and “university” in their names, which frequently causes confusion. Harvard College and Harvard University are two examples. Harvard University offers a graduate degree, while Harvard College offers a four-year liberal arts undergraduate program.
Career Options after Liberal arts degree
You can acquire many useful job abilities, such as flexibility, communication, planning, time management, problem-solving, and teamwork, with a liberal arts degree. In contrast to a major that prepares you for a particular professional path (think data science or marketing), a liberal arts degree allows you to explore a wide range of possibilities and use the more general abilities you’ve acquired to do a variety of tasks.
Public service
Liberal arts students are more likely to interact with others on a small campus that fosters a sense of community. Therefore, it is not unexpected that a large number of liberal arts graduates choose to work in public service. Public policy, politics, diplomacy, and social services are all areas of public service.
Business
Liberal arts graduates who possess strong problem-solving abilities and a critical thinking capacity frequently pursue careers in business, including marketing, sales, customer relations, and account management.
Education
Since the goal of a liberal arts degree is to cultivate a love of learning and knowledge, some liberal arts graduates take pleasure in spreading that enthusiasm to others.
Writing
Liberal arts graduates who possess strong reading, writing, research, and communication abilities are well-suited for jobs as journalists, editors, and copywriters.
Top Liberal arts colleges.
In general, ranking systems like US News’ are not a good approach to determining your place in the world. There is no reliable way to gauge an institution’s strength; rankings have been manipulated by institutions, and they are frequently based on factors that, as a student, you probably don’t really care about, like retention rates.
Nevertheless, in no particular order, here are a few of the best liberal arts programs available today in addition to Harvard’s. Even if their popularity varies from year to year, they are mentioned here because they are constantly regarded as one of the best programs:
College | Location | Rank |
Williams College | Williamstown, Massachusetts | 1 |
Amherst College | Amherst, Massachusetts | 2 |
Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania | 3 |
United States Naval Academy | Annapolis, Maryland | 4 |
Bowdoin College | Brunswick, Maine | 5 |
Pomona College | Claremont, California | 5 |
Wellesley College | Wellesley, Massachusetts | 7 |
Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota | 8 |
Claremont McKenna College | Claremont, California | 8 |
United States Air Force Academy | USAF Academy, Colorado | 8 |
United States Military Academy at West Point | West Point, New York | 8 |
Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, California | 9 |
Source: National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings, 2025
How to apply to a liberal arts college
Here is how you apply to a liberal arts college.
- Take a college entrance exam like the ACT or SAT.
- Complete your college application.
- Write your required personal statement.
- Gather the necessary letters of recommendation.
- Request and submit your high school transcripts.
- Attach your payment to your application packages.
- Submit all of your materials before the deadline (found on each college’s website).
Things you should consider before applying
Well-rounded applicants are frequently given a second chance by liberal arts universities. Join a club or play a sport to broaden your high school interests. Enroll in a painting, sculpting, drama, or dancing class to learn more about the arts. You can also join the school paper or yearbook. Finally, volunteering can make a big impression on admissions committees. Volunteer at a nearby food bank, rest home, or animal shelter to get active in your community.
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