Educational Requirements For The 21st Century: Liberal Arts Or Job-Specific?
It used to be that a bachelor’s degree was a magic ticket to a professional level job. College students could major in almost anything because employers would hire new college graduates for their potential, assuming they had acquired a measure of maturity, self-discipline, and reasoning skills during their years at school. Students who chose liberal arts majors, such as history or English, could easily have been hired for an entry-level marketing position. Companies had the staff, time and money to provide on-the-job training to get new hires up to speed on the specifics of their job responsibilities.
Not anymore.
Today there is a demand for students who are prepared to quickly transition to a productive role in the workforce. Employers want to hire graduates with specific job-related knowledge and skills, as well as related internships. Smaller staffs, slashed budgets, and lack of time require new hires to hit the ground running. Entry-level marketing jobs now go to graduates with integrated marketing majors and at least one or two marketing internships.
However, employers also want to hire graduates who are equipped with interdisciplinary knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Our country’s competitiveness as a major leader in a global environment depends on a workforce that can collaborate and create. Approaching complex problems with the capacity for big picture, integrated solutions is paramount.
What is needed? An educational system which produces graduates with both specific job skills and the capacity to solve problems in innovative ways. Let’s look at how students majoring in liberal arts can leverage their learning and increase their employability.
The Value of a Liberal Arts Background Today
Historically, advocates of a liberal education wanted to produce engaged citizens who could carry out their civic, social and ethical responsibilities. In a traditional liberal arts education, students gain a general foundation in the sciences and humanities. These subjects develop “critical and creative thinking” inquiry, and communications skills to investigate and solve problems in innovative ways.
On campus, the academic majors under the liberal arts umbrella span a wide range of disciplines, and stem from the early educational model of a liberal arts education. They include:
- Natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry, earth science, geography, astronomy
- Social sciences, such as anthropology, psychology, history, political science, sociology
- Mass communication, speech communication, English, literature, theater
- Languages, international studies, linguistics
- Mathematics
- Philosophy, religious studies, cultural studies
The emphasis in the coursework for these majors provides broad exposure to the subject matter. Students are introduced to a more interdisciplinary approach to learning about and solving contemporary problems that may be global in scope.
In “Making the Case for Liberal Education,” published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, author Debra Humphreys discusses learning outcomes that are essential for success in today’s world.
The outcomes include the following:
- Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Natural and Physical World
Intellectual and Practical Skills (i.e. inquiry, critical and creative thinking, teamwork)
Individual and Social Responsibilities (i.e. civic knowledge and engagement, intercultural knowledge and competence)
Integrative Learning (synthesis across disciplines and the capacity to apply learning to new settings and questions)
Business author Dan Pink echoes the need for integrative thinking in his best-selling book, A Whole New Mind.
What’s the most prevalent, and perhaps the most important, prefix of our times? Multi. Our jobs require multitasking. Our communities are multicultural. Our entertainment is multimedia. While detailed knowledge of a single area once guaranteed success, today the top rewards go to those who can operate with equal aplomb in starkly different realms. I call these people ‘boundary crossers.’
Everyone, including students, must master this integrated and collaborative approach to meet the demands of jobs in, as Pink says, our outsourced, automated and unpredictable world.
Increasing the Employability of Liberal Art Majors
Today, few students can afford to earn a liberal arts education solely for the pure joy of learning. The reality is that most students will have to get a job after graduation. It is imperative to view their liberal arts major as part of an educational pathway leading to employability. As they begin their college program students must consider, and answer, the question, “What will I do after graduation?” It is important to make sure a college has programs and services geared not just to graduation, but to career choice and job search support.
Some would say students majoring in liberal arts and those who are undecided majors have much in common. Both need to conduct focused career exploration activities that can uncover potential jobs that will use their strengths and their academic coursework.
A career assessment is a wise first step to identify potential careers that are an excellent fit. Students can learn about the link between careers and college majors through online resources such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, conducting informational interviews, and job shadowing. Students in the sciences should especially become knowledgeable about the opportunities afforded by STEM careers. The acronym STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Certainly many subject matter areas in a liberal arts curriculum form the solid foundation for these exciting career fields offering high growth, high potential, and often, high earnings.
Many careers related to liberal arts majors require an advanced degree. A liberal arts major can effectively position students to enter law or medical school, as long as they take the pre-admission courses that are required. If time and finances are not an issue, students can attend school several additional semesters and earn a teaching credential. Another example: students who are psychology majors need a Master’s or doctorate degree to qualify for most jobs in the psychology field, like counselor or psychologist. In many states, licensed social workers, physical therapists are required to have a Master’s degree. This is another reason why exploring careers in high school is important; students can prepare for a longer educational path.
How can students leverage a liberal arts degree? By seeking opportunities to get to know an industry where they can apply their knowledge and skills while still in school. Complex projects, capstone assignments, and summer jobs are some of the methods that require students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real-world situations.
Internships are another way to gain industry experience. A 2010 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that half of the new college graduate hires in companies with internship programs came from their internship pool. When students gain experience in one or more internships, potential employers will value the practical work and industry experience that supports a student’s coursework, and students can more easily define the kind of work where they can make their best contribution.