One overall context in which you’re working is the context of U.S. higher education. Many undergraduate degrees in the U.S. are liberal arts degrees, which means that a portion of the degree is devoted to studies in a number of fields (math, humanities, science, sociology, history, etc.).  The underlying philosophy is that students should be introduced to multiple ways of experiencing and understanding information, using a variety of lenses.  Although many colleges ask incoming students about their area of academic interest, students often do not need to know their major initially, or stick with it, if they decide to move in a different academic direction, which may often be a result of studying a variety of fields.

On the other hand, the context of higher education is different for undergraduate degrees in many other countries and cultures.  For example, higher education in the U.K. focuses only on the student’s major and excludes liberal arts education.  Students entering college need to know initially what their major will be, and they need to stick with it throughout their time at the college.  Focused degrees such as these are comparable to, although not the same as, the more professionally-based degrees in the U.S., which require a higher percentage of work in a particular field to meet professional standards or certification.

Consider the nature of college degrees in the U.S.  The articles/videos provided below offer some contrasting viewpoints about liberal education. Read/view at least one article or video from each viewpoint.

These tend to be more in favor of liberal education:

• It Takes More than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success: Overview and Key Findings, from the Association of American Colleges & Universities
• The Value of a Liberal Arts Education in Today’s World, from IvyWise
• Reconceptualizing the Value of Liberal Arts Education, from TEDx Western Illinois University (video, embedded below)

These tend to question the implementation of liberal education in the 21st century and/or explain the origin of a more professionally-focused degree:

• Liberal arts face uncertain future at nation’s universities (with podcast), from the Hechinger Report
• The Power of Academic Friendship, from Inside Higher Ed
• Expert Educational Consultant on the Liberal Arts Versus Professional Training, from Great College Advice (video, embedded below)

Based on insights gained from these articles, consider the nature of your own proposed degree. If you decide to pursue a professional focus, are there liberal arts/general education courses that might enhance that focus?  If you decide to pursue a more liberal arts focus in a specific academic area (history, creative writing, interdisciplinary studies, etc.), are there professionally-focused courses that might enhance your current or future professional plans?

Another report, Robot-Ready: Human+ Skills for the Future of Work, discusses the need to combine professional and liberal education.  You can download the report for free.  Read the executive summary at the start of the report for this third view of the nature of college degrees.

Use this information to consider how you may want to focus your own degree.