When pursuing a degree in the liberal arts, you want to make sure that you are attending one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. A liberal arts college is a college in which students concentrate their studies in various liberal arts and sciences. While liberal arts and sciences cover a wide variety of studies, they are generally considered to include such areas as literature, linguistics, mathematics, music, science, philosophy and theater, among others. Most liberal arts colleges offer only undergraduate studies, with students who complete their studies moving on to graduate schools to gain advanced degrees. Students who wish to obtain a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of the Arts degree are those who should be most interested in liberal arts colleges, as should those seeking such majors as various cultural languages and studies, classical literature, psychology, linguistics studies, sociology, religious studies and economics. In addition, many students who have not yet decided on their major pursue an education at liberal arts colleges, moving on to graduate schools once they have made their decision as to what they wish their majors to be.
How to Find the Best Liberal Arts Colleges
When searching for a liberal arts college to attend, the first thing you want to do is make sure that the school you are considering is accredited, whether you are looking into attending a traditional brick and mortar school or one of the top online liberal arts colleges. The purpose of attending a school that is accredited is to ensure that your credits and hard work you put in while learning is recognized by other universities and by employers. Schools are accredited through one of several organizations, which make sure that the school maintains a certain level of academic standards. Make sure to check with your school to find out if they are accredited.
All of the top ranking liberal arts schools, such as Williams College and Amherst College, are accredited schools. Many of the top ranking schools are also members of various consortia or are otherwise associated with other nearby colleges, making them an excellent way to lead into the associated colleges. Another thing to look for in a liberal arts college is to make sure that the college has a wide variety of majors and courses to choose from. For example, Wellesly College has over 50 majors and over 1,000 courses to choose from, and also provides the ability to cross-register classes with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It is important to take liberal arts college rankings into consideration when trying to determine the best school choice for your particular needs. College rankings are a good way to help you choose the best private liberal arts colleges, the best small liberal arts colleges, or find a school in a particular region of the Unites States: the best liberal arts colleges in the south, the best liberal arts colleges in the west, the best liberal arts colleges in the midwest, or the best liberal arts colleges in New England. College rankings will even help you evaluate the best online liberal arts colleges.
Best Liberal Arts College Careers
Those with a degree from one of the Best Liberal Arts Colleges can make a very good amount of money in a wide variety of jobs and professions. For example, a public relations manager overseeing the public relations and marketing section of a company can make around $101,000 a year. To qualify as a public relations manager, not only will you want to complete your bachelor’s degree from one of the Best Liberal Arts Colleges, but you will also need to take courses specific to public relations, communications, speaking and journalism. Another example of a high paying job for which a liberal arts degree can prepare you is that of a marketing manager, focusing on sales, advertising and public relations. Marketing managers have an average salary of around $118,000 a year, though to get a higher salary you may want to consider also getting your MBA. Marketing managers are needed in a wide variety of industries; practically any industry that has a need for advertisement can benefit from a marketing manager. In addition to public relations manager and marketing manager, some building inspector jobs require a bachelor’s degree, and building inspectors can earn about $52,000 or so per year. These are just three examples of jobs available to the holder of a degree from one of the best Liberal Arts Colleges and, as you can see, a bachelor of arts or bachelor of sciences degree can help you qualify for a wide variety of jobs.