What is Liberal Arts Education?

Ever wondered what it would be like to study one of the oldest subjects in the world? Liberal arts is
one such subject it goes back to the Ancient Greeks who considered a liberal arts education to be
the ultimate mark of an educated person. Interestingly, while liberal arts education has long had an
established place in the US higher education system, it has only recently resurfaced in continental
Europe, where it originated. Meanwhile in Asia, discussions about introducing liberal arts have started
to gain momentum in the past year (2013), while there is as yet only one liberal arts college based in
Africa Ashesi University in Ghana, founded in 2002.

Read on for a fuller exploration of the question What is liberal arts? including all you need to
know about what studying liberal arts entails and what students can gain from a liberal arts degree

A brief history of liberal arts education

During the era of classical antiquity (when ancient Greece and ancient Rome
intertwined creating the Greco-Roman world), liberal arts was considered
essential education for a free individual active in civic life. At the time, this would
have entailed being able to participate in public debate, defend oneself and serve
in court and on juries, and perform military service. At this time, liberal arts
covered only three subjects: grammar, rhetoric and logic, collectively known as
the trivium. This was extended in medieval times to include four further subjects:
arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy, named the quadrivium so there
were seven liberal arts subjects in the medieval liberal arts curriculum.

The trivium was considered preparatory work for the considerably more difficult quadrivium, with
the quadrivium in turn being considered preparatory work for the more serious study of philosophy
and theology. The aim of a liberal arts education was to produce a person who was virtuous and
ethical, knowledgeable in many fields and highly articulate.

Although modern liberal arts curriculums have an updated choice of a larger range of subjects, it still
retains the core aims of the liberal arts curricula maintained by the medieval universities: to develop
well-rounded individuals with general knowledge of a wide range of subjects and with mastery of a
range of transferable skills. They will become global citizens, with the capacity to pursue lifelong
learning and become valuable members of their communities.

What is liberal arts today?

So, in a modern context, what is liberal arts education? There are now many
subjects that fall within the broad scope of the category; a typical liberal arts
degree program is interdisciplinary, covering topics within the humanities, as
well as social, natural and formal sciences. There are differences in the
particular subjects included in liberal arts degree programs at different
institutions. However, the liberal arts spectrum is generally accepted as
covering the following fields:
 Humanities includes art, literature, linguistics, philosophy, religion, ethics, modern foreign
languages, music, theater, speech, classical languages (Latin/Greek) etc.
Social sciences includes history, psychology, law, sociology, politics, gender studies, anthropology,
economics, geography, business informatics, etc.
Natural sciences includes astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, botany, archaeology, zoology,
geology, Earth sciences, etc.
Formal sciences includes mathematics, logic, statistics, etc.

The term liberal arts education can also be applied to the dedicated study of just one of the above
subjects (for example, a student studying a BA in Philosophy could be said to be undertaking a liberal
arts education). In general, however, the term refers to degree programs that aim to provide a broader
spectrum of knowledge and skills.

Liberal arts degrees in the US

Today, liberal arts degrees are most commonly offered in the US.
There are hundreds of dedicated liberal arts colleges in the US,
with even more institutions offering a liberal arts program
alongside other options.

While some universities now offer a one-year associates degree in

liberal arts, its more common for liberal arts degrees in the US to
be earned over four years of full-time study. Students earn either a
BA or a BSc certification and can then progress to either a graduate school or a professional school.
Some students may also choose to specialize by picking a major or minor subject in a specific area
(common subjects to major in include business, law, communication, research and politics).

Liberal arts colleges

There are some notable differences between

dedicated liberal arts colleges and other
universities in the US. Liberal arts colleges
typically rely heavily on student participation and
encourage a high level of student-teacher
interaction, mentorship and collaboration.
Whereas universities tend to prioritize research,
liberal arts colleges have more staff members
dedicated to teaching full-time, rather than a
combination of graduate student teaching
assistants and research professors. Most liberal
arts colleges are small and residential, with
smaller enrollment and class sizes and a lower
student-teacher ratio, with teachers becoming mentors and even research partners with their students.
Liberal arts degrees in Europe

Though the concept of liberal arts originates in Europe, today

its much less prevalent than in the US though in recent
years liberal arts degrees have become more widely available.
At the moment less than half of European countries have
liberal arts colleges or universities with a liberal arts degree
program; namely Bulgaria, Belgium, Estonia, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the
Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland
and the UK. Of these, only the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands,
Italy, and Germany have more than one institution teaching liberal arts degrees.

Benefits of a liberal arts degree

If youre still unsure whether a liberal arts degree is for

you, here are some of the key benefits of a liberal arts
degree:

Preparation for work in a variety of sectors: you

will gain a strong foundation knowledge in a wider
range of subjects than if you were to take a degree
specializing in a single subject or vocation.
Introduction to career choices: the range of
subjects taught in a liberal arts degree program
means students can be introduced to subjects they
may not have otherwise encountered, enabling
them to make a more informed decision when
choosing their preferred career path.
Stepping stone to other careers: the knowledge
achieved during a liberal arts education can help
you to better maneuver yourself out of your current career into another.
Liberal arts degrees are appealing to employers: in a recent survey of CEOs in the US, 74% said they
would recommend a liberal arts education to students. Employers recognize that liberal arts
graduates have the necessary transferable skills to adapt to a changing workplace.
Provides a foundation for graduate study: a potential graduate student with a liberal arts background
will have the ability to learn across a diverse field of studies, with the foundation knowledge to go
straight into graduate study in any subject they choose.
Provides skills to become a valuable community member: a liberal arts education extends beyond
academia and the workplace to give graduates the necessary qualities that can enable them to adapt
and thrive in the world, communicate with and understand other members of the community and
have a broadened perspective.
Careers with a liberal arts degree

Instead of choosing a career at the beginning of their degree,

liberal arts students are more likely to be focusing on
learning as much as they can about the world around them,
which opens up opportunities across many industry sectors.
While some of the following careers require further
education (such as a masters or doctorate degree) some
typical careers with a liberal arts degree include:

Academia: the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills gained from a liberal arts education will lend an
extra dimension as you explore, research, and/or teach a chosen subject.
Art: photography, commercial art, painting, interior, graphic and visual design
Education: pursue additional qualifications to become a teacher, where you can use your breadth of
knowledge to help a wider range of students, or to teach a wider range of subjects.
Interpreter: many liberal arts students learn at least one foreign language, which can help you
become a qualified translator, transcriber or interpreter, become a foreign language teacher or
journalist, or work in the tourism and travel industry.
Marketing: whether you choose advertising, promotions, public relations, journalism, news editing
or copywriting, the humanities subjects you covered will help you understand people better, while
your communication skills will help you be better understood.
Political science: careers in this field include law, public policy, politics, business, and working for
NGOs and charities.
Other career paths: biology (healthcare, laboratory assistant, research assistant), business
(entrepreneur, store manager, salesperson), event planning, environment (conservation, public
policy), finance (banker, accountant, financial analyst), law enforcement, research analysis
(combining statistics and psychology), and social services (such as counselling or therapy).

Skills gained from a liberal arts degree

Across the world, advocates of liberal arts education

criticize the educational formats and curriculums of other
degree programs for their over-emphasis of technical
capabilities while neglecting other vital skills.
Nonetheless, it can be difficult for a potential student to
conceptualize what they will gain from such a wide-
ranging degree. To help you out, here are some of the key
skills gained from a liberal arts degree for a typical
student:

Analytical, evaluative, critical and creative thinking

skills
Effective oral and written communication skills
Problem-solving and pattern intelligence skills
Ability to learn and synthesize new ideas
Experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis
Critical and reflective reading skills
Numerical skills
Effective research skills
 Organization and time-management skills
Information literacy skills
Ability to adapt easily to situations
Ethical decision-making skills
Ability to pose meaningful questions
Ability to work in a team
Self-confidence and self-understanding
Ability to be sensitive to others and be tolerant of cultural differences
Foreign language skills and cross-cultural knowledge

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Retrieved from: http://www.topuniversities.com/blog/what-liberal-arts-education

Yale University

A Liberal Arts Education

Even before our nations founders immortalized their eloquent vision of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, Yale College was instilling similar values in its students. Since our founding in 1701, generations of
undergraduates have sought education and enlightenment at Yale in a dedicated pursuit of knowledge and
leadership skills.

Yale is committed to the idea of a liberal arts education through which students think and learn across
disciplines, literally liberating or freeing the mind to its fullest potential. The essence of such an education is
not what you study but the result gaining the ability to think critically and independently and to write,
reason, and communicate clearly the foundation for all professions.

There is no specific class you have to take at Yale, but you are required to learn broadly and deeply. Depth is
covered in your major. Breadth is covered in three study areas (the humanities and arts, the sciences, and the
social sciences) and three skill areas (writing, quantitative reasoning, and foreign language). A Yale education
instills in students the values, goals, skills, and knowledge they need to pursue inspiring work, to take joy in
lifetime learning, and to lead successful and meaningful lives.

Choosing a Major

Yale encourages students to let the decision about choosing a major be shaped by and grow from their
academic experiences here. In most of the humanities and social sciences, there are few prerequisites, which
means a variety of courses taken freshman and sophomore year are likely to position students well for
advanced study in these disciplines. The natural sciences, engineering, and foreign languages and literatures
require more careful planning. During freshman year, students lay the groundwork for these majors by
beginning a sequence of courses that must be taken in a specified order throughout their four years of study.
More

Distribution Requirements

Unlike liberal arts curriculums that institute core classes to enforce breadth of study, Yale Colleges system of
distributional requirements means students choose from among hundreds of humanities, social science, and
natural science courses throughout their undergraduate years. This approach ensures diverse intellectual
pursuits for all Yale College students while encouraging flexibility and freedom to expand on individual
interests, explore new curiosities, and take academic risks. More

Shopping for Classes

Yale is one of the only universities in the country that lets you try out your classes before you register. The
first ten days of each semester are known as Shopping Period a time when you can visit dozens of classes
that interest you to decide which ones you want to take. The challenge of course is not finding a class you
like, but winnowing your choices down to a reasonable number.

During Shopping Period, students meet with academic advisors to sort through a breathtaking number of
academic opportunities. They gather together at Blue Book parties to collaboratively tackle Yales massive
course catalog, a.k.a the Blue Book. They build their class schedules as they shop, sitting in on lectures or
seminars to get a feel for the teaching styles, syllabi, class dynamics, and subject matter that best match their
intellectual tastes and goals for a given semester.

Practically speaking, shopping for classes gives students time to craft their most fulfilling academic semester.
Philosophically, the practice upholds Yales commitment to each student to challenge, expand, and
ultimately better understand the life of ones own mind through undergraduate study.

Retrieved from: https://admissions.yale.edu/liberal-arts-education

Why Study the Liberal Arts?

By Richard Sigurdson

former Acting Dean of Arts

The University College of the Cariboo

900 McGill Road, P.O. Box 3010

Kamloops, B.C. Canada, V2C 5N3

What is a Liberal Arts Education?

Working towards a baccalaureate degree in the Arts or Sciences involves taking courses in what are
traditionally referred to as the "liberal" arts. This means that your courses will be in general areas of study--
philosophy, mathematics, literature, art history, economics, languages, and so on--rather than in applied or
specialized fields. A liberal arts education is not intended to train you for a specific job, though it does prepare
you for the world of work by providing you with an invaluable set of employability skills, including the ability
to think for yourself, the skills to communicate effectively, and the capacity for lifelong learning.

What Will I Study as Part of an Arts Education?

You will study a variety of subjects, looking at the world and its people from various points of view. You will
learn about ideas and beliefs that have guided human beings and shaped civilizations for thousands of years.
What does it mean to be human? What have humans done, thought about, and felt? What is truth and beauty,
and what are their value to life? How have we been shaped by, and how have we shaped, our physical and
natural environment? What skills, methods or techniques can be used to examine the world and its people?
These are some of the key questions examined by the Arts disciplines.
A liberal arts education is by nature broad and diverse, rather than narrow and specialized. Choosing courses
from many disciplines gives you a wide and useful education. In the first year, an Arts student normally takes
a variety of introductory courses. This not only gives you a wide knowledge of subjects but helps you to choose
certain areas for further study. In most cases, you will be encouraged to take courses in at least some of the
major categories within the liberal arts: Humanities (English Literature, Modern Languages, History,
Philosophy), Social Sciences (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Sociology), Creative Arts
(Fine Art, Theatre, Speech, Creative Writing), and the Sciences. At the same time, Arts programs usually allow
for some degree of specialization in a Major discipline or in a group of thematically-linked courses. By
concentrating on a given subject, whatever it may be, you will go beyond the mere surface of things and gain
a solid grasp of the core material in a given area.

Why Should I Pursue an Arts Education?

This is the big question: Why Arts? Why not Engineering? Or Nursing? Or Heavy Duty Mechanics? Or
Computing Science? There are numerous ways to answer this question, and ultimately the utility of any
answer will depend upon your own circumstances. For you, studies in the Arts may provide the necessary
practical skills that you will apply on the job; or they may prepare you to move on to a graduate or professional
school. For others, the key value of a liberal arts education may be the personal satisfaction and fulfillment
that studying philosophy or art makes possible. Still others will be able to excel in todays global business
world because the foreign language skills developed in their Arts education gave them an important edge.
Indeed, the reasons for pursuing a liberal arts education are as many as the number of potential students.
What you need to ask is what you want to get out of a postsecondary education. If you want to get a solid,
broadly-based, general education which will improve your analytical, communication and learning abilities,
then the liberal arts may be for you.

What About Skills Training?

You have probably heard a lot of talk lately about how important it is to get the proper "skills set" so that you
can be immediately attractive to an employer. Some think that the goal of a postsecondary education should
be to provide you with as much specific training as possible before you arrive on the job, thus relieving
potential employers of the costs and risks associated with hiring untrained workers. In light of this perception,
many students balk at taking general liberal arts courses and choose instead to focus narrowly on a vocational
or professional area of study. This can be an excellent choice. There are many rewarding and fulfilling careers
that one can pursue with the help of a first-class vocational or career training program. But make sure that
you are making your educational choices for the right reasonsthose that are best for you. If you are shying
away from Arts courses because you think that you need training in specific skills to get a job, you may be
mistaken. First, a liberal arts education does provide you with tangible, practical skills that employers value
highly. What is more, you will obtain skills and knowledge that are never obsolete. The world is changing
rapidly and there may be a danger in preparing yourself too narrowly to fit a certain slot that may not even
exist by the time you get into the job market. Meanwhile, the underlying skills, abilities and attributes fostered
in the Arts are always relevant.

What Skills Will I Learn by Taking Arts Courses?

The list of skills, abilities, capacities and attributes normally associated with a liberal arts education includes,
but is not limited to, the following:

analytical and knowledge-building skills;

evaluative and critical thinking skills;
 creative thinking skills;
effective oral and written communication skills;
critical and reflective reading skills;
problem solving and pattern intelligence skills;
numerical skills;
synthesis skills and the ability to express the results of analysis and evaluation;
the ability to pose meaningful questions that advance understanding and knowledge;
the ability to conduct research and organize material effectively;
information literacy and other skills associated with learning how to learn;
the exercise of independent judgment and ethical decision-making;
the ability to meet goals, manage time, and complete a project successfully;
self-confidence and self-understanding;
the ability to cooperate with others and work in teams;
a sensitivity to individuals and tolerance of cultural differences;
the ability to use equipment; and
an informed openness to new information technologies.

Where Can an Arts Education Take Me?

An Arts degree prepares you for hundreds of careers. Your opportunities are limited only by your imagination,
your interests and your willingness to devote time and energy to your work. Of course, an Arts degree can
also take you to the top graduate and professional schools. Liberal arts courses are often required for anyone
who pursues a professional degree, and a high percentage of liberal arts graduates go on to take further
education. This is not surprising, since the liberal arts serve as a foundation for most vocational or professional
studies at the university. For example, programs in accounting, business, education, journalism, and law are
built upon the knowledge and skills that come from fields that make up the liberal arts. Accounting and
business depend upon mathematics and economics; education derives from psychology and sociology;
journalism requires a knowledge of English and history; and law builds upon political science and philosophy.

Will an Arts Education Make Me a Better Person?

A liberal arts education will enhance your knowledge and improve your understanding of the world and its
people. Many say that knowledge leads to wise action, perhaps even to goodness. Thus, an Arts education
may help you to perceive and to understand your shortcomings, allowing you to become a better citizen,
friend, spouse, parent, human being. Arts courses often enable students to reach beyond their own
experiences and imagine worlds far distant in time and space. By opening your eyes, ears and mind, a good
Arts education can strengthen in you the virtues of tolerance, sympathy, and respect for others. A liberal arts
education will equip you to participate effectively in your community. It can also help you to engage in the
controversies of our time--whether about the environment, cultural diversity, social justice, ethnic strife,
gender relations or foreign policy.

Can a Liberal Arts Education Make Me Happy?

It would be ridiculous to make any promises of a carefree future, but an Arts education can contribute to your
happiness. Studies in the humanities or the arts offer an obvious preparation for leisure and life beyond the
world of work. A good liberal arts education increases your capacity to understand and enjoy humanitys
cultural and scientific achievements. It also contributes to the pleasure you can get from the world around
you. Studies in your Arts program can increase your awareness and appreciation of literature, music,
personality, nature, art, symbolism, wit, historical allusion or figurative language. But more than that, a good
general education allows you to see things whole, to provide a context for seemingly meaningless or isolated
events. This may sound an abstract benefit, but it is just this orientation for knowledge that might reduce the
confusion and frustration that comes from being unable to put into context an event, decision or
phenomenon that you encounter in your daily life. Perhaps this helps explain, to a certain extent, why studies
consistently show that educated people have, statistically, happier relationships, lower rates of depression,
less loneliness, and a higher degree of satisfaction with life.

But is an Arts Degree Worth It in Todays High-Tech World?

An Arts degree is valuable in itself, but also teaches many of the skills and abilities that are needed in the
contemporary workplace. That is why managers in business, industry and government appreciate the value
of an Arts degree in potential employees. They recognize the importance of what are often called
"employability skills"--reading, writing, listening, speaking effectively, knowledge of language, critical
thinking, problem solving, basic numeracy, information literacy and the capacity to continue to learn for life-
-and know that university Arts programs have always concentrated on just these skills. Students, too,
understand that Arts Faculties tend to do the best job in developing these general employability skills. That is
one of the reasons that students continue to vote with their feet by enrolling in Arts programs in high
numbers.

Still, there is a perception out there that technical trainees get high wage jobs in their fields while Arts
graduates face high unemployment or can find only low wage jobs that do not use their university training. A
common stereotype portrays the poor Arts grad stuck in a dead-end McJob. In fact, this is a gross
misrepresentation of labour market reality. More than ever, an undergraduate university education is a sound
investment. Recent studies in both the U.S. and Canada have demonstrated that a high level of education
translates into higher income over a persons lifetime. These studies show that most university graduates,
including those with Arts degrees, have lower unemployment rates and higher lifetime earnings than people
with only high school diplomas or technical/vocational credentials.

But there is more to it than a simple link between education and income. A recent study by the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) points to what it calls "literacy skills" as the key factor
that pays off in any job. Literacy, in this sense, involves the types of skills that are fostered in liberal arts
programs: the ability to understand and use prose, to analyze documents, and to work with numbers. The
report, entitled Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society, contains data comparing the literacy skills of people
in 12 countries. It finds that the ability to comprehend and use words and figures plays a strong role in
determining wages, especially in countries like Canada and the United States. It is worth noting, however,
that low literacy rates can be found even in people with higher education. The report points out that your
educational credentials may get you a job in the first place, but having strong literacy skills will make you the
kind of productive and useful employee who rises through the ranks. Moreover, workers with high literacy
skills can adapt more easily to changing circumstances, making them less vulnerable to unemployment and
more likely to be high income earners. In a rapidly changing, information-based economy, the benefits of
literacy cannot be overestimated.

What Should I Do?

Only you can know what is best for you at this time in your life. Still, you should explore all of your
opportunities, including a liberal arts education. Talk to counselors at your school or job centre. Speak with
friends, relatives or co-workers about their educational experiences. Read up on the trends and developments
that might influence your decision. Check out your local training centre, college or university. There the
academic advisors can help you decide on courses or programs. Admissions officers can help you get into the
areas of your choice. And financial aid or awards officers can advise you on how to access scholarships,
bursaries or student loans.

Whatever you do, dont let opportunities pass you by because you have failed to get the material you need
to make an informed choice. But remember, a postsecondary education can be expensive. It is a lot of work.
And it represents a major investment of time and energy. So dont waste your money or your time doing
something that you really dont want to do. You will be happier and more likely to succeed if you follow your
heart, do whatever you do for your own reasons, and look at a postsecondary education for what it is: an
opportunity for you to grow and develop as a human being.

Retrieved from: http://www.uni.edu/reineke/whystudyla.htm

This article is available also at: http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/ae/LIBARTS.HTM

What Is a 21st Century Liberal Education?

Liberal Education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal
with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world
(e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal
education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable
intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a
demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

The broad goals of liberal education have been enduring even as the courses and requirements that
comprise a liberal education have changed over the years. Today, a liberal education usually includes
a general education curriculum that provides broad learning in multiple disciplines and ways of
knowing, along with more in-depth study in a major.

To learn how liberal education is adapting to 21st century needs, read about The LEAP Challenge and
engaging all college students in signature work on significant questions and problems important to
them and to society.

Essential Learning Outcomes

Through LEAP, AAC&U has defined a robust set of "Essential Learning Outcomes" that students
develop through a 21st century liberal education. Beginning in school, and continuing at successively
higher levels across their college studies, students can prepare for both responsible citizenship and a
global economy by achieving the essential learning outcomes.

See the "economic case" for liberal education and the Essential Learning Outcomes.
See the "civic case" for liberal education and the Essential Learning Outcomes.

Often-Confused Terms

Liberal Education: An approach to college learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to
deal with complexity, diversity, and change. This approach emphasizes broad knowledge of the wider
world (e.g., science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth achievement in a specific field of interest.
It helps students develop a sense of social responsibility; strong intellectual and practical skills that
span all major fields of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills; and the
demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.1

Liberal Arts: Specific disciplines (i.e., the humanities, sciences, and social sciences).

Liberal Arts College: A particular type of institutionoften small, often residentialthat facilitates
close interaction between faculty and students, and whose curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts
disciplines.

Artes Liberales: The historical basis for the modern liberal arts, consisting of the trivium (grammar,
logic, and rhetoric) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music).

General Education: That part of a liberal education curriculum that is shared by all students. It
provides broad exposure to multiple disciplines and forms the basis for developing essential
intellectual, civic, and practical capacities. General education can take many forms, and increasingly
includes introductory, advanced, and integrative forms of learning.

The Changing Nature of Liberal Education

Liberal Education in the Liberal Education in the Twenty-First Century
Twentieth Century
intellectual and personal intellectual and personal development
development a necessity for all students
What an option for the fortunate essential for success in a global economy and for
viewed as non-vocational informed citizenship

through studies in arts and through studies that emphasize the essential
sciences disciplines ("the major") learning outcomes across the entire educational
and/or through general continuumfrom school through collegeat
How
education in the initial years of progressively higher levels of achievement
college (recommended)

liberal arts colleges or colleges of all schools, community colleges, colleges, and
arts and sciences in larger universities, as well as across all fields of study
Where
institutions (recommended)

Adapted from College Learning for the New Global Century, Association of American Colleges and
Universities, 2007, page 18, figure 5.

More on Liberal Education

In Historical Perspectives

"Those persons, whom nature has endowed with genius and virtue, should be rendered by liberal
education worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of their
fellow citizens; and . . . they should be called to that charge without regard to wealth, birth or other
accidental condition or circumstance." --Thomas Jefferson, 1779
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Morrill Act to set up a system of public
colleges throughout the United States. The purpose of these land-grant colleges was, in part, to
"promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and
professions in life" (emphasis added).

"We want one class of persons to have a liberal education and we want another class of persons, a
very much larger class of necessity, to forgo the privileges of a liberal education." --Woodrow Wilson,
1909

"Education is by far the biggest and the most hopeful of the Nation's enterprises. Long ago our people
recognized that education for all is not only democracy's obligation but its necessity. Education is the
foundation of democratic liberties. Without an educated citizenry alert to preserve and extend
freedom, it would not long endure." -- Truman Commission on Higher Education, 1947 (see "Higher
Education for Democracy" for more details).

"Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn
is undoubtedly the most fundamental." --W.E.B. DuBois, 1949

"When we ask about the relationship of a liberal education to citizenship, we are asking a question
with a long history in the Western philosophical tradition. We are drawing on Socrates' concept of 'the
examined life,' on Aristotle's notions of reflective citizenship, and above all on Greek and Roman
Stoic notions of an education that is 'liberal' in that it liberates the mind from bondage of habit and
custom, producing people who can function with sensitivity and alertness as citizens of the whole
world." --Martha Nussbaum, Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal
Education, 1998

In the Twenty-first Century

"Education serves democracy best when it prepares us for just the kinds of questions we face now:
questions about a wider world, about our own values, and about difficult choices we must make both
as human beings and citizens. . . . The approach to higher learning that best serves individuals, our
globally engaged democracy and an innovating economy is liberal education." AAC&U Board of
Directors, 2002

"The only education that prepares us for change is a liberal education. In periods of change, narrow
specialization condemns us to inflexibility--precisely what we do not need. We need the flexible
intellectual tools to be problem solvers, to be able to continue learning over time." David Kearns,
Xerox, 2002

"This approach to liberal education--already visible on many campuses--erases the artificial

distinctions between studies deemed liberal (interpreted to mean that they are not related to job
training) and those called practical (which are assumed to be). A liberal education is a practical
education because it develops just those capacities needed by every thinking adult: analytical skills,
effective communication, practical intelligence, ethical judgment, and social responsibility."
Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College, AAC&U, 2002
"This division has not always existed. Both education and engineering have deep roots in our history
as a nation. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, each in his own way, recognized that discovery
and innovation are the twin pillars of a democratic society." Joseph Bordogna, NSF, 2003

"It should not be liberal education for some and narrow or illiberal education for others....Access to
educational excellence is the equity challenge of our time." AAC&U Board of Directors, The
Quality Imperative, 2010

"So what does business need from our educational system? One answer is that it needs more
employees who excel in science and engineering and the remainder of a workforce that is exposed to
enough science and mathematics to function in the rapidly evolving high-tech world.

But that is only the beginning: one cannot live by equations alone. The need is increasing for workers
with greater foreign language skills and an expanded knowledge of economics, history and geography.
And who wants a technology-driven economy when those who drive it are not grounded in such fields
as ethics?" Norman Augustine, former Chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation,
2013

Statement on Liberal Learning

Read the Statement on Liberal Learning approved by the AAC&U board of directors (1998).

Other Publications on Liberal Education

The LEAP Vision for Learning (pdf)

College Learning for the New Global Century (LEAP Report)

Greater Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes to College

Practicing Liberal Education

1. According to a 2013 survey conducted by Hart Research Associates on behalf of AAC&U, 74

percent of employers would recommend this educational approach to college-bound students. For a
full report on the survey and its complete findings, see www.aacu.org/leap.

Retrieved from: https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education

Liberal Education and Americas Promise

About LEAP

Launched in 2005, Liberal Education and Americas Promise (LEAP) is a national public advocacy
and campus action initiative of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U).
LEAP champions the importance of a twenty-first-century liberal educationfor individual students
and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality.
LEAP responds to the changing demands of the twenty-first centurydemands for more college-
educated workers and more engaged and informed citizens. Today, and in the years to come, college
graduates need higher levels of learning and knowledge as well as strong intellectual and practical
skills to navigate this more demanding environment successfully and responsibly.

Through LEAP, hundreds of campuses are making far-reaching educational changes to help all their
studentswhatever their chosen field of studyacquire the broad knowledge, higher order
capacities, and real world experience they need to thrive both in the economy and in a globally
engaged democracy.

To Make Excellence Inclusive, LEAP Promotes

Essential Learning Outcomesas a guiding vision and national benchmarks for college learning and
liberal education in the 21st century
Principles of Excellenceoffering both challenging standards and flexible guidance for an era of
educational reform and renewal.
High-Impact Educational Practicesways of engaging and challenging studentssuch as first year
programs; intensive writing, collaborative assignments, undergraduate research, internships, and
major projects that help students achieve essential learning outcomes
Authentic Assessmentsusing students own work and faculty-validated rubrics, probing whether
individual students have developed essential capacities, and can apply their learning to complex
problems and real-world challenges.
Students Signature Workchallenging higher education to prepare all students to complete a
substantial cross-disciplinary project in a topic significant to the student and society, as part of the
expected pathway to a degree. The signature project can take one of many forms (e.g. capstone,
internship, field work, research, community-based research).

LEAP leaders also work to engage the public with core questions about what really matters in college
and to connect employers and educators as they build new partnerships and make the case for the
importance of liberal education in a global economy and in our diverse democracy.

For more information about the LEAP initiative, please see our "Introduction to LEAP" brochure or
slide deck.

LEAP is supported in part by the Leadership Fund for Liberal Education. Click here to learn more
about the Leadership Fund and to make a gift to LEAP.

Retrieved from: http://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberaleducation