A bachelor's degree in liberal arts provides a well-rounded education with applications in nearly every field and industry. The best liberal arts programs strengthen students' global and cultural awareness and critical thinking skills, ideal for self-starters on their own unique career path. Graduates can pursue creative, service-oriented, and management careers.

Most liberal arts programs offer highly customizable majors and concentrations. An online bachelor's degree in liberal arts can provide additional benefits, such as accelerated paths to graduation and set or in-state tuition rates.

Lucrative entry-level opportunities span many fields, including project management, marketing, and human resources. PayScale calculates an average annual salary of $64,530 for graduates with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts.

Should I Get a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts?

A bachelor's degree in liberal arts trains students to think critically and adopt a worldly perspective of life and work.

A bachelor's degree in liberal arts helps students to think critically and adopt a worldly perspective of life and work. Liberal arts programs are sometimes misinterpreted as too broad for practical careers; however, the opposite is true. Liberal arts programs prepare graduates for their choice of creative, administrative, or service occupations.

In addition to many schools offering a four-year bachelor's degree in liberal arts, they generally also feature a variety of optional majors, concentrations, and courses. Liberal arts programs are known for their customizable curricula, with many online bachelor's degrees in liberal arts offering even greater convenience through accelerated or part-time enrollment schedules.

Students may pursue a degree in liberal arts to explore their career options and expand their academic experience. Graduates with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts can launch their career in administrative or service occupations or pursue a higher degree in a field like education or social work.

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What Will I Learn in an Liberal Arts Bachelor's Program?

Schools may offer liberal arts degrees as bachelor of science (BS), bachelor of arts (BA), or bachelor of liberal arts (BLA) programs. Though structures and curricula may vary slightly, a typical bachelor's degree in liberal arts emphasizes coursework in the arts, philosophy, languages, literature, and history. Traditional majors include English, communications, and psychology.

Many liberal arts degrees offer optional internships or research projects. Most schools boast a variety of popular concentrations, such as teacher preparation, global studies, and social science, to prepare learners for further study in an area of particular interest. These degrees usually culminate in a capstone requirement.


Child and Family Studies

Child and family studies is a popular concentration for aspiring educators, administrators, and counselors. This concentration includes coursework in child development, family dynamics, biology, and multicultural perspectives.

Global and Multicultural Issues

This concentration explores the concepts of identity, culture, gender, and ethnicity. Coursework includes discussion around a variety of American and international issues, historical customs, and current events.


Some programs use the terms "liberal arts" and "humanities" interchangeably, while others differentiate them slightly. The study of humanities includes literature, languages, philosophy, history, and the arts.

Teacher Preparation

This concentration provides a broad introduction to teaching philosophies and techniques. The curriculum inspires students to consider how education theory, early childhood development, and hands-on teaching methods may affect their individual teaching style.

Social Science

Bachelor's degrees in liberal arts often feature social science as a concentration, with some even offering sub-concentrations, such as criminal justice, anthropology, and psychology. Social science is the study of human behavior and its cultural implications.

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What Can I Do With a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts?

Graduates with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts possess highly adaptable job skills. Liberal arts programs tend to attract learners who are inquisitive, open-minded, and sensitive, making them ideal candidates for service-oriented leadership positions, such as social and community service manager or human services assistant.

Graduates may also apply their exceptional communication and creative skills in fields like human resources, journalism, and public relations. Students who complete a bachelor's degree in liberal arts can make excellent artists, advocates, and scholars in specializations like museum studies and library science.

A bachelor's degree in liberal arts also provides a sensible jumping off point for further study in a related field. Graduates may find their passion through a bachelor's degree and eventually pursue an advanced degree in a field like social work, media communications, or the arts.

Popular Career Paths

Popular Continued Education Paths

How Much Money Can I Make With a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts?

Salaries vary significantly for graduates with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts, since this program is especially broad and spans multiple career fields. According to PayScale, the average annual salary for graduates with a BA in liberal arts is $64,530. Among the highest earners, executive directors and HR directors each make average salaries higher than $90,000 per year.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bachelor's in Liberal Arts Programs

What is liberal arts?

Liberal arts, sometimes called humanities, is the interdisciplinary study of history, languages, philosophy, literature, and the arts. Liberal arts programs provide broad, open-ended career skills and opportunities.

How much does it cost to get a bachelor's in liberal arts?

The National Center for Education Statistics reported average tuition costs of more than $27,000 at four-year institutions in 2017-2018; however, online programs often offer benefits like set tuition rates.

What can I do with a liberal arts degree?

Liberal arts degrees are ideal for students looking to explore a variety of interests before choosing a career. An education in liberal arts carries broad applications in both creative and conventional business fields.

Is a bachelor's in liberal arts worth it?

A bachelor's degree in liberal arts can lead to a graduate program in journalism, management, public relations, or social work. At the undergraduate level, this major enables greater customization than other programs.

What's the difference between a bachelor's in liberal arts and a bachelor's in fine arts?

A bachelor's degree in liberal arts incorporates general professional skills and can lead to a career in fine arts, social science, or social services. A fine arts program emphasizes a particular area of the arts, such as dance, theater, or visual art.