There are some majors that have a single vocational path, but with a liberal arts degree your options are much broader and typically don’t lead to one specific career. The liberal arts encompass a wide range of disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences and the natural sciences. With today’s rapidly changing economy, having a broad base of knowledge is an advantage that helps you adapt when industry demands change. The holistic approach of the liberal arts will not only pave a broad career path for you but will also open far more skills for you to apply in the real world.
What are the liberal arts?
Traditionally, the liberal arts include subjects within humanities, like English, literature, history, philosophy and art history, which explore the human condition through creative expression and critical analysis. Social sciences, like psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics and political science, deconstruct society and social relationships. Today, the liberal arts have expanded to include natural sciences like biology, chemistry and physics, so you can have a scientific perspective on the world. This diverse range of disciplines will empower you to become engaged in the economy society is facing today.
The skills you’ll develop
A liberal arts-based degree develops your critical thinking skills; exposes you to a wide range of ideas, which makes it easier for you to work with diverse teams of people; forms your written and oral communication skills; helps you grow into a creative thinker and problem-solver; and develops your research skills. These are all proficiencies employers value no matter what industry you work in.
“Knowing how to write decently, knowing how to think critically, how to ask the right questions, to understand systems, to look for holes, to have a low threshold for indignation – that’s the kind of stuff that comes from having a liberal arts degree,” said freelance journalist Makana Eyre, who graduated from University of the Pacific with a political science degree in 2012.
Career pathways
A liberal arts education offers a broad spectrum of career opportunities:
- Business and management: human resources specialist, marketing coordinator, business analyst
- Media and communications: journalist, public relations specialist, content creator
- Law and public policy: paralegal, policy analyst, legislative assistant
- Social services: social worker, community service manager, counselor
- Research and analysis: market research analyst, historian, data analyst
- Nonprofit sector: program coordinator, fundraising manager, volunteer coordinator
- Education: teacher, academic adviser, curriculum developer
Opportunities in tech
The liberal arts play an important role in today’s tech-driven economy. Many industries are looking for critical thinkers in digital mediums who communicate well and address ethical concerns and issues. Diversifying your liberal arts studies can also help you later in your career.
Tech leaders with liberal arts degrees
- Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO at YouTube, studied history and literature at Harvard.
- Stewart Butterfield, the former CEO at Slack, studied philosophy at the University of Victoria.
- Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Meta, studied economics at Harvard.
University of the Pacific graduate Kim Austin’s career as a content strategist at a tech company evolved from her combination of English and computer science classes. She originally studied English to become a teacher but after she graduated in 1990, she was able to land a job at the software company as a content strategist because of her writing skills.
“My English degree got me in the door, and my technical knowledge from computer science classes was instrumental in getting my first job,” Austin said. “From there, I moved into technology marketing at major tech companies, evolving my content skills to include digital strategy, social media, search optimization and other aspects of content marketing as the field was developing.”
The advantage of the liberal arts is that your future doesn’t have to be confined to one area of study. The knowledge you gain from a more general education will help you adapt when industries change and will give you foundational skills that go beyond the workplace.
“This diversity in career trajectories highlights the strong foundation students receive in understanding complex human and media dynamics,” said Pacific communication professor Qingwen Dong.
The liberal arts and AI
AI is rapidly reshaping the world as we know it. A liberal arts graduate is well-positioned to play a crucial role in its development and implementation. Humanities graduates, with their understanding of philosophy, history and culture, can help develop ethical frameworks for AI–designing it to avoid creating biases for example. You could also become a policy maker for AI, ensuring that it is used responsibly and ethically. Pacific physics professor, James Hetrick, believes AI could be pushing society toward a Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“The First Industrial Revolution–the steam engine–did something similar to AI. We could build a machine that did the work that we previously could only do with teams of animals or natural forces,” Hetrick said. “The humanities responded with new themes in literature, new artistic expression, new ideas. I think the humanities and liberal arts today will respond similarly to disruptive new technologies.”
The liberal arts at Pacific
“By fostering critical thinking, effective communication skills and information competency, we prepare students not just for their first job but for a lifetime of careers,” Dong said.
At Pacific, you can personalize your education with on-campus opportunities that include interdisciplinary projects like the Digital Delta Project which explored the complex history of California’s Delta region. History, geological and environmental sciences, and computer science majors collaborated to design educational video games about diverse communities in Northern California’s Delta region. Humanities students can also join the Think Tank program in which students from different majors collaborate on projects that explore problems facing the local community and find solutions.
Pacific emphasizes hands-on learning to create an engaging class environment by integrating activities into courses. For example, Reacting to the Past, a classroom role-playing game designed for higher education, is at the core of Ancient Arithmetic, a course that combines history with mathematics.
Make the most of a liberal arts education
A more general education can expose you to subjects beyond your major that may provide advantages later in life. One way to explore a new subject area is to find a mentor, like a professor or graduate student, who is doing research that interests you. Pacific sociology professor Marcia Hernandez believes students may limit their range and knowledge by focusing on specific subjects and careers.
“The ability to connect and build rapport with people from diverse backgrounds is key in the liberal arts,” said Hernandez. “Part of the objectives are to empower the students to learn outside of their comfort zones and learn ways of how to have difficult discussions with others that they may disagree with.”
By fostering empathy, critical thinking and effective communication, a liberal arts education prepares students to navigate a diverse and interconnected world.
Explore the liberal arts at Pacific