What is the Timeline for Obtaining a Liberal Arts Degree?

Are interested in learning about the timeline for a liberal arts degree? If you are planning to complete a liberal arts program at a regionally accredited college or university, it is important to learn about the time commitment you will need to make to make it to graduation. A Liberal Arts degree will qualify you for several different career options in teaching and other less obvious fields, but you will need to stay motivated and committed to your schooling. The amount of time that you will spend studying liberal arts will depend entirely on your enrollment status and the type of degree you would like to hold. Here is your guide to understanding just how much time you will spend as a liberal arts major.

What Type of Degree Do You Plan on Earning?

Many prospective college students will enter college without any real idea of what they would like to do for a living. They simply start taking classes, meet with their adviser, and start to learn what interests them the most. A general college degree, much like a degree in Liberal Arts, gives students that push that they need to choose a career. Early on in college is also an excellent time to decide which type of degree you would like to pursue and then start planning out a timeline. If you are not sure what type of degree you want now, you may need to learn about the employment qualifications required by employers in a specific field so that you determine which type of degree will give you the leverage that you need.

The two options that you need to decide between are an Associate’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree. Anything beyond these two options will require a more specific choice in area of study. Obviously, you can complete an Associate’s program faster than you would a Bachelor’s, but having a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts may help you land a job in a competitive market faster.

Your Enrollment Status

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to attend school full-time. If you have other obligations, like family or work, you may not have time to study 35 to 40 hours per week to earn your degree. If you are enrolled in class part-time, which means that you earn 6 to 9 credits each semester, you can expect to earn an Associate’s in 3 to 4 years. It may take 5 to 7 years to earn a Bachelor’s if you study part-time.  Students who attend school full-time will earn their A.A. in 2 years or less and their B.A. in 4 years or less.  Some programs will have summer school options to reduce the timeline it takes to earn your degree.

The demand for Liberal Arts majors is greater than you may think in many different fields. Employers are looking for college graduates who have skills, strong work ethic, analytical abilities and are problem-solvers, and liberal arts majors possess these skills because they study social science and humanities. Enroll in a degree program that you can be passionate about, and choose a program where the liberal arts degree timeline is reasonable for you.

Related Resource: Benefits of a Liberal Arts Degree