Are Liberal Arts Degrees Really ‘Liberal’?
The study of liberal arts is a classic discipline, intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills instead of focused professional or occupational skills. The scope of the liberal arts has changed with society. It once emphasized the education of elites in the classics but, with the rise of science and humanities during the Age of Enlightenment, the scope and meaning of “liberal arts” expanded to include them. A degree in liberal arts can provide the basis for career advancement as it trains students to write effectively and think analytically while also allowing them to explore the nature of the various liberal arts fields of study. Some popular liberal arts fields of study include the following:
Early Childhood Development If you are interested in early childhood development and want to become a public school teacher, you must complete a bachelor’s degree. All states require a bachelor’s degree as a prerequisite for a teacher’s license. An online degree in Early Childhood Education provides academic requirements for various career levels in occupations related to childcare and early childhood education in the public and private sectors. The bachelor’s degree generally takes four years to complete. The bachelor’s degree courses typically focus on classroom issues and Pre- Kindergarten through third grade instructional methods.
Sociology Sociologists study human behavior as it pertains to human interaction within the guidelines of an organizational structure. Human behavior is greatly influenced and governed by social, religious, and legal guidelines. A sociologist studies these behaviors and the influences that preserve certain behaviors and change others. Sociology is also a broad science that covers many different disciplines in the social sciences. Sociology also studies more tangible measures of human behavior such as class or social status, social movements, criminal deviance, and even revolution.
Philosophy A philosophy major is the most general type of college degree you can obtain. It focuses on the “nature of being”, knowledge, and contemplating right and wrong in moral issues. A philosophy degree trains you to become both regimented and creative, learning to reason through abstract questions. Students will apply their knowledge to form an argument for debate. The principles of philosophy affect other fields of study such as physics and religion. Every religious belief and field of science is subject matter in philosophical inquiry. Skills that are helpful in your philosophy program are puzzle solving skills, debating, critical thinking and reading skills an organized thought process, and the ability to think outside of the box.
Education for Liberal Arts
Online Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies or Bachelor of Science degrees consist of an integrated core curriculum in the arts and sciences combined with student directed specializations. The liberal arts degree is popular for those with higher career ambitions, as well. Many future law or foreign services professionals find that getting a liberal arts degree such as political science is a great starting off point in their academic pursuits – it’s both personally rewarding and beneficial for the courses they will take as they progress. A BA in liberal arts can also provide the foundations for careers in medicine and business.
Students with a degree in liberal arts enrich their existing knowledge of the world and develop a broader framework for understanding social change in a global context. If you think a liberal arts degree is what you are looking for, search our database for an online degree program today.
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How Attending a Small Liberal Arts College Can Do Wonders For Your Education and Your Career
Have you ever considered attending a small liberal arts college? I think you should carefully contemplate and investigate that option. The education you can receive is top-notch. The individualized attention you receive from full professors who teach classes can be a marvelous side benefit of these wonderful colleges.
A small liberal arts college doesn’t have a law school, a medical school, a business school, or a graduate school. Its focus is on undergraduate education, and in many cases it does an excellent job of this mandate. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages of attending a college rather than a university, and I will list just a few of them here.
Small liberal arts colleges have definite advantages and disadvantages when it comes to college life. I’ll just mention a few of things you should consider in making your application decision:
Full professors generally do the teaching. There are seldom any Teaching Assistants or Research Assistants teaching classes. Thus, undergraduates are taught by experts in their fields. Colleges generally have small class sizes. The student-faculty ratio is low – often below 10 to 1. Everybody knows you. Professors know you well. I have two children who attended small liberal arts colleges and both of them blossomed tremendously as a result of their experiences. Liberal arts colleges are especially beneficial if you want to go to professional or graduate school, such as law, medical, or graduate school. The emphasis on undergraduate education. Usually these small colleges partner with larger institutions for course they don’t offer, such as engineering programs, business courses, etc. When you attend a small college, it’s easier to be a big man on campus
Some of their advantages are also disadvantages:
Everybody knows you. Some people would like to sit back and relax without always being around people they know. The small liberal arts colleges often lack variety and diversity. Al of the students may seem to be cut from the same mold. They may be of predominantly the same religion, socioeconomic status, etc. Campus life can be boring. They don’t have high-adrenaline Division I Sports programs and the excitement and enthusiasm such a sports program frequently brings to campus for current students and alumni. Social life can be limited. Sometimes the professors know you too well. You can’t hide. Life on campus can be like living in a fishbowl. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing.
So the small liberal arts college has pros and cons. Decide for yourself if you like what they have to offer. A campus visit should help you decide. Also talk with current students.
Ultimately, whether you decide to attend a large research university or a small liberal arts college will not make the definitive difference. The deal-maker or the deal-breaker is you. In actuality, you are the one who will make the principle difference. So be the best you that you possibly can and wherever you decide to attend college can be greatly beneficial to you.
Degree Programs – Bachelor Through Doctorate – Added To Nursing Colleges To Meet Demand
With the healthcare industry expected to grow, more colleges and universities are preparing students to fill careers within it. They’ve been adding bachelors degree, masters degree and doctoral degree program. In some instances, colleges and universities have established new nursing or healthcare departments.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that the 14.3 million healthcare jobs that existed in 2008 are to grow by another 3 million or so into 2018, in part as a result of aging baby boomers. In addition to filling new jobs, professionals are expected to be needed to fill the places of those who retire. Physicians and surgeons aside, many healthcare professions might require that professionals have obtained anything from a bachelors degree to a doctoral degree. Some of the new healthcare-related college and university offerings, including programs for all degree-seeking level include:
Abilene Christian University in October announced plans to launch a School of Nursing. Classes at the Abilene, Texas, institution would begin for the fall 2013 semester. “By taking this step, we believe we will be able to create a more distinctive, compelling on-campus student experience – one that will allow us to increase the reach of [the university's] nursing program,” Abilene Christian University President Dr. Phil Schubert was quoted in an announcement as saying. “Having our own School of Nursing will enable us to expand our capacity to educate the nurses of tomorrow.” Abilene Christian University currently offers nursing degrees as part of a consortium.
Boston University in October announced that it had established a Department of Radiation Oncology. Medical students in their first year are able to participate in studies at the Boston University Department of Radiation Oncology. According to the institution, the ability for first-year students to do this is a rarity. Bachelor’s degree through doctoral degree programs are offered at the Boston University School of Public Health.
Brandman University, a non-profit adult education institution based in Irvine, Calif., in March established a School of Nursing and Health Professions, at which time it announced that it was offering a bachelors degree in nursing, as well as masters degrees in health administration and health risk and crisis communication. A doctoral degree in nursing, approved later in the year by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, is the first doctoral degree to be offered at Brandman University in any subject area. Classes for registered nurses with masters degrees began in August 2010; classes for registered nurses with bachelors degrees begin in January 2011. The Brandman University School of Nursing and Health Professions also offers masters degrees in health administration and health risk and crisis communication. Registered nurses have the opportunity to participate in a bachelors degree in nursing. Brandman University offers courses online and at 25 campuses throughout California and Washington state.
Capella University in August announced that it was introducing an online doctoral degree in nursing practice. In May, Capella University had announced that it was offering three other online degrees that are healthcare related: online doctoral degrees in public health and health administration and an online masters degree in health administration. The doctoral degree particularly takes less time than a more research-intensive PhD to complete, according to the institution. Both graduate degree programs include simulations, real-time coaching sessions and more. Capella University also offers students the opportunity to obtain a graduate certificate in health administration and a PhD in human services with a health care administration specialization. Reviews of the programs are pending in some states.
The Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences in Orlando, Fla., in November announced that an associate degree program that it offers is to change to a bachelors degree program. That bachelors degree program, in nuclear medicine technology, has been selected by the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologist Section as one of three pilot programs of its kind in the country, according to a Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences announcement. The society has proposed that degrees at the bachelor level be required for entry level nuclear medicine technology jobs by 2015, the announcement noted.
Many scholarships are available to help reduce the amount of debt that students take on for their college and university studies. Some scholarships might be intended specifically for bachelors degree studies, while others are geared to masters or doctoral degree pursuits. Many scholarships require that colleges and universities are accredited by nationally recognized institutions.