What Is a Liberal Arts Degree?

A liberal arts degree is a well-rounded undergraduate education. Rather than focusing on a single professional or technical field, it tends to cover a broad range of subjects across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts. Thanks to that breadth, you can expect to develop valuable critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills while deepening your knowledge and intellectual curiosity. That means you can pursue different roles after graduation because you won't be tied to one specific career.

Learn what it takes to earn a liberal arts degree, including common majors, and the benefits of this college degree. Afterward, get access to a range of liberal arts courses with a Coursera Plus subscription.

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What is a liberal arts degree?

The term "liberal arts" comes from the ancient Greek tradition of educating free people in critical subjects, such as rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, and geometry, to strengthen their participation in civic life. In modern parlance, a liberal arts degree is a type of bachelor's degree.

When you pursue this kind of college education, you will select a major in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, or fine arts, and graduate with one of the following:

• Bachelor of Arts

• Bachelor of Science

• Bachelor of Fine Arts 

The type of degree you ultimately earn will depend on your major. While traditionally, many humanities subjects typically equate to a BA degree, and many science subjects typically equate to a BS degree, it’s worth noting that some majors—like economics, psychology, or environmental science—may offer you an option. Learn more about the difference between a BA and a BS degree.

What does it take to earn a liberal arts degree?

As with other bachelor's degrees, it typically takes between four and five years to earn a liberal arts degree. The requirements can vary by college, but typically, you'll need to complete a minimum of 120 credits to graduate.

All undergraduate students are expected to take core liberal arts coursework during their first two years before beginning their major coursework. As a liberal arts major, you will deepen your knowledge of one liberal arts subject, such as biology, psychology, or linguistics.   

Liberal arts majors

Let's review some of the majors associated with a liberal arts degree. Remember that not every institution may offer a full program in the majors below, so if you're interested in studying a specific area, it's a good idea to see whether it's offered at the colleges you're interested in attending.

Humanities

Majoring in the humanities means studying ideas related to humans and human society.  Common subjects include: 

• Communication: Earn a communications degree to study topics like public speaking, mass media, and digital literacy. With this degree, you can prepare for jobs in public relations, human resources, or marketing.

• Philosophy: By studying the nature of knowledge and existence, you can hone your ability to communicate clearly (both orally and in writing), craft persuasive arguments, and think critically on complex topics—skills suitable for careers in law, counseling, or teaching.

• History: When studying history, you look to the past in the hope of building a better future. Use coursework in history to help develop your research, critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills. History majors may go on to work in politics, journalism, law, or museum curation.

• Language: Majoring in a foreign language means honing your ability to communicate cross-culturally, analyze multiple perspectives, and problem-solve. The ability to communicate in another language can unlock opportunities for careers in health care, education, foreign service, travel, or translation.

• English: By learning to read and interpret English literature, you can become a more analytical writer, accurate writer, and careful editor. This major could be a good fit for anyone interested in a career in editing, writing, or marketing.

• Art history: Research and analyze famous works of art. By developing skills in research, critical thinking, and synthesis, you could prepare yourself for a career in museum curation or academic research.

Natural sciences

Science majors study the world around them and how it functions. Common subjects include: 

• Astronomy: Observe and analyze the elements of the known universe—planets, stars, solar systems, galaxies, and other phenomena—with this course of study. Develop investigative and mathematical skills that can serve you well in a range of careers.

• Biology: As a biology major, you’ll study the characteristics, functions, and behaviors of living organisms. If you’re considering a career in health care, biology may be a good choice of major.

• Chemistry: Chemistry is the study of matter, and those who study it can apply those learnings to an assortment of careers—everything from research or medicine to criminal forensics or food science.

• Geology: Learning about the physics and chemistry of the Earth can be an entry point to a career in the energy, environmental, nonprofit, government, or educational sectors.

• Physics: In a physics degree program, you’ll study the natural laws of science and engineering, building your capacity for problem-solving, critical thinking, and research along the way. Choosing this major can be the first step toward a career in many science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) professions.

3. Social sciences

Social science majors focus on subjects that investigate human behavior, either on an individual or collective level. Common subjects include: 

• Anthropology: Anthropology majors study humanity through the lenses of biology, culture, linguistics, and history. Choosing this major can be a great way to build skills in statistical analysis and research methods, which can transfer to careers in public policy, marketing strategy, social work, or user experience (UX) design.

• Criminal justice: Prepare for a career in criminal justice or public service with this major, which focuses on the court system, policing, corrections, and criminal psychology. Build knowledge and skills in ethics, statistical analysis, and the law.

• Economics: This field of study analyzes resource management at the local, community, corporate, national, and global levels. The skills you build while studying economics can lead to careers in law, finance, business, government, sales, or public policy.

• Political science: Study how governments work, both independently and in relation to one another. Choosing this major can help you to become a stronger writer, presenter, and critical thinker, all key skills for roles in journalism, government, foreign service, or finance.

• Psychology: Studying psychology doesn’t mean you have to become a psychologist (though that’s an option). Learning more about human behavior builds research, reasoning, and problem-solving skills for possible careers in counseling, social services, education, marketing, or criminal justice.

• Sociology: With this major, you’ll study social groups and how they behave and interact. Broad coursework in criminology, research methods, statistics, race and ethnicity, and gender studies can build your capacity for critical thinking, research, and analysis. This major can lead to a career in criminal justice, education, market research, or counseling.

4. Fine and applied arts

Fine and applied arts majors focus on the creative arts, either to pursue a career in that field or by applying what they’ve learned to a different industry. Common subjects include: 

• Theater arts: You can concentrate on acting, directing, production, design, or stage management. If you’re interested in a career in the theater, whether on stage or behind the scenes, this could be a fun and fitting major.

• Graphic design: Through a graphic design curriculum, you can learn to combine your creativity with technology for a possible design career in a range of industries.

• Music: Majoring in music doesn’t limit you to a career as a musician (though you’ll likely develop your creative and performance skills). Music majors may also go on to become teachers, journalists, music therapists, event marketers, or sound technicians.

• Film: As a film major, you’ll take a deep dive into all the elements of bringing an idea to the screen, including screenwriting, editing, light and sound, and cinematography. Prepare for a variety of jobs on a film set with this major.

• Interactive media: Choose this major to study a range of digital media skills, including web, video game, and app design. Build skills in communication, imaging software, collaboration, and user experience (UX) design to apply your creativity to a career in tech.

What majors are not liberal arts?

Engineering, accounting, finance, human resources, nursing, and dentistry are examples of majors that are not liberal arts since they help you gain skills specific to performing those roles at the professional level. 

Benefits of earning a liberal arts degree

Even though a liberal arts degree doesn't always lead directly to a specific job, the skills you learn in your coursework can prepare you for careers in education, research, politics, public service, and more.

You'll also have opportunities to build additional skills you can bring to whatever career you decide to pursue. Here are more reasons to consider a liberal arts program:

• Learn how to ask the right questions to identify and solve problems.

• Develop creative solutions for complex problems.

• Bring a human touch to technical fields.

• Quickly learn new information.

• Make complex information digestible.

• Adopt a lifelong love of learning.

• Prepare for graduate school.

What skills can you learn with a liberal arts degree?

Depending on what you study, you may gain useful technical skills related to your subject matter. The vast majority of liberal arts majors also emphasize workplace skills to prepare you for a variety of careers. 

Among the skills you’ll learn in a liberal arts program are:

• Research

• Writing

• Communication

• Analysis

• Critical thinking

• Problem-solving

• Teamwork

The skills you can develop through your liberal arts degree program are valuable. In fact, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that employers ranked skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving higher than many technical skills [1].

When you choose to major in a liberal arts subject and are nearing graduation, think about what you’ve learned and compare your skills to in-demand transferable skills. Then, list them in the skills section of your resume and mention them again in your cover letter. 

Explore liberal arts courses on Coursera

Explore different liberal arts subjects on Coursera. Enroll in Wesleyan University’s Creative Writing Specialization,  Berklee College of Music’s Music Production Specialization, Michigan State University's Photography Basics and Beyond, or California Institute of the Arts’ Fundamentals of Graphic Design.

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