5 DEGREES YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD EARN AT A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE

Updated December 1, 2022 · 2 Min Read

5 Surprising Degrees Liberal Arts Colleges Offer Music Industry Data Science Entrepreneurship Applied Mathematics Business Liberal arts colleges are becoming a more popular option versus large research universities. Because liberal arts colleges tend to be smaller - and usually afford a high level of educational quality for the cost - more and more students are ...

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5 Surprising Degrees Liberal Arts Colleges Offer

  • Music Industry
  • Data Science
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Business

Liberal arts colleges are becoming a more popular option versus large research universities. Because liberal arts colleges tend to be smaller - and usually afford a high level of educational quality for the cost - more and more students are choosing to attend them. Liberal arts colleges have also expanded their curriculums over the last decade to include much more than classical liberal arts degrees in the humanities and social sciences.

With tech increasingly becoming part of all educational practices, liberal arts colleges are reinventing themselves, according to Forbes - to stay competitive in a high-tech and entrepreneurial culture. Here are five degrees you didn't know you could earn at a liberal arts college.

  1. Music IndustryDegrees in music industry were formerly only offered at conservatories and technical schools. Now, liberal arts colleges all over the nation are offering degrees in music industry - with built-in resources to help music industry students apply their practice professionally and academically throughout their studies.A mixture of performance studies, music theory, audio recording and production, music industry students are becoming more common. With creative communities often built into liberal arts colleges via music and theater, pursuing a music industry degree at an LA college rather than a tech school helps students to maximize their experience before graduation.
  2. Data ScienceYet another degree formerly only available at tech schools, data science degrees are cropping up more commonly at liberal arts schools. Very often, data science majors are encouraged to minor, and they may also often work with humanities-focused students for collaborative projects that benefit either their school or their communities.As data science becomes part of more and more professions from marketing to nursing, liberal arts schools are increasingly developing curricula for bachelor and master of science programs in it. In addition, studying data science at a liberal arts school can often save students money, rather than attending some of the more expensive technical schools in the US.
  3. EntrepreneurshipFrom one-year certificates to master's degrees, entrepreneurship as a field of academic study has taken the nation by storm. While entrepreneurship was once the sole dominion of business schools, liberal arts schools are developing entrepreneurship programs at a fantastic rate - and attracting a large body of students to combine their entrepreneurial studies with a liberal arts field that they love.
  4. Applied MathematicsOnce only available at technical schools and research universities, applied mathematics degrees are becoming more commonly seen at liberal arts schools. Applied mathematics set against the backdrop of a liberal arts education not only assists students in understanding the broader context of their academic work, but also introduces opportunities to work with students of other disciplines in order to best determine where they can apply their newfound skills in applied math once school is over.
  5. BusinessBusiness is one of the most commonly chosen majors in the west, and business programs of all kinds are often found at liberal arts schools. Foci range from marketing and social media to business administration and accounting, most of which can be taken as either minors or concentrations within the degree program itself. A degree in business can often mean a lucrative career later on, particularly with a well-chosen minor or concentration - and more older students are choosing to major in it at community colleges and liberal arts schools rather than attending business schools.

Each of these degree programs represents a different facet of the liberal arts college and its ever-expanding academic repertoire. liberal arts colleges the nation and world over are continuing to develop these and other non-traditional degree programs with the liberal arts worldview - and no doubt will continue to do so.

Ranking: 30 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the West, Ranked by Return on Investment (ROI)

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