Bachelor of Liberal Studies
Encyclopedia
The purpose of the Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree is to provide students with a solid multidisciplinary preparation in the Humanities
, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences
and the Arts
, subsequently allowing them to pursue careers in education
, business
, government
, and other such fields. The goal of a liberal studies major is to train students to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to develop skills in critical thinking
and problem solving
, and to imbue critical thinking with ethical thought. Liberal studies provides students with opportunities for an extensive study of the liberal arts and sciences and for a broad understanding of various academic fields of interest.
A student who seeks to be awarded a degree such as B.A. in Liberal Studies generally undertakes a variety of subjects, including, but not limited to: literature
and language
studies, mathematics
, visual
and performing arts
, physical education
, history
and social sciences
, science
, and human development
. According to the American Academy for Liberal Education, core curriculum
can include "interdisciplinary programs in the arts and sciences, programs of study in the histories and heritages of Western and non-Western civilizations, global and trans-cultural studies, ethnic and area studies, musical and theatrical appreciation and performance, and programs in creative writing."
Occupational opportunities include:
(Some positions may require additional education and/or training)
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
and the Arts
The arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
, subsequently allowing them to pursue careers in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, and other such fields. The goal of a liberal studies major is to train students to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to develop skills in critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
and problem solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
, and to imbue critical thinking with ethical thought. Liberal studies provides students with opportunities for an extensive study of the liberal arts and sciences and for a broad understanding of various academic fields of interest.
A student who seeks to be awarded a degree such as B.A. in Liberal Studies generally undertakes a variety of subjects, including, but not limited to: literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
studies, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, visual
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
and performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, and human development
Human development (humanity)
Human development in the scope of humanity, specifically international development, is an international and economic development paradigm that is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. People are the real wealth of nations...
. According to the American Academy for Liberal Education, core curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
can include "interdisciplinary programs in the arts and sciences, programs of study in the histories and heritages of Western and non-Western civilizations, global and trans-cultural studies, ethnic and area studies, musical and theatrical appreciation and performance, and programs in creative writing."
Occupational opportunities include:
- Banking or retail management trainee
- BuyerBuyerWhen someone gets characterised by their role as buyer of certain assets, the term "buyer" gets new meaning:A "buyer" or merchandiser is a person who purchases finished goods, typically for resale, for a firm, government, or organization...
trainee - Claims adjusterClaims adjusterClaims adjusters investigate insurance claims by interviewing the claimant and witnesses, consulting police and hospital records, and inspecting property damage to determine the extent of the company’s liability. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the Caribbean and New Zealand...
- Underwriter
- College/university admission counselor
- ConventionConvention (meeting)A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
/meeting planner - Development officer/fundraiserFundraiserA fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
- Human resourcesHuman resourcesHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
professional - Insurance agent
- Public relationsPublic relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
specialist - Sales representative
- TeacherTeacherA teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
- WriterWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
- Intelligence OfficerIntelligence officerAn intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
/AnalystAnalystAnalyst generally is a term for an individual of whom or which the primary function is a deep examination of a specific, limited area and may mean:* Accounting analyst, an accounting analyst evaluates and interprets public company financial statements...
(Some positions may require additional education and/or training)
Notable Degree Holders
- James R. HelmlyJames R. HelmlyJames R. "Ron" Helmly is a Lieutenant General in the United States Army, and, until May 2006, was the commander of the United States Army Reserve.He was born in Savannah, Georgia....
, Chief of the U.S. Army Reserve, Commanding General of the United States Army Reserve http://www.nationalguard.com/homefrontheroes/leadership_reserve.php?p=helmly