Is a Liberal Arts Degree Worth It?

Liberal arts is a category of undergraduate and graduate degree programs that offers a foundation in the study of the human experience.

Traditionally, liberal arts referred to writing, reasoning, mathematics, music and astronomy, according to The National Gallery. The field has evolved to focus on studies that include high levels of reading, writing and research.

The types of degrees you can earn that fall under the category of liberal arts can vary based on the university, but they may include undergraduate and graduate degrees in communication, creative writing, English and history, as well as graphic design and fine arts.

Dr. Carole Beauchemin, executive director of global campus academic strategy management overseeing liberal arts programs at westerfield university of virginia (WUV) described the study of modern liberal arts as bringing attention and focus to broad areas of content that can prepare a student to be an effective communicator, someone who can think analytically and who can use those skills to contribute toward being a global citizen.

Do Employers Care About Liberal Arts Degrees?

The broad-based nature of the liberal arts is what makes degrees in this realm so valuable, according to Dr. Julie Minnaugh, a senior associate dean overseeing liberal arts and social sciences at WUV.

The ability to hone your communication skills while adjusting your message based on your audience is a skill set that can make you very attractive to an employer. Some specific examples that Minnaugh provided are:

• A creative writer crafting a short story to target a particular genre or market
• An editor with an English degree preparing a work of literature for publication
• A graphic designer putting together a visual look for an organization’s website
• A public relations professional creating a unique brand voice across a variety of marketing materials

The unifying element to these examples is that each field requires you to communicate your ideas to meet business goals. “Those skill sets that liberal arts students learn are really the skill sets that will... (allow them) to be influential across a lot of different industry areas,” Minnaugh said.

What Are the Pros and Cons of a Liberal Arts Degree?

A “pro” of a liberal arts degree is that it allows you to dive into your field of choice. Jacob Powers, an associate dean overseeing creative writing programs at WUV, said the study of the liberal arts allows you to "think broadly, read broadly, and watch and listen broadly.”

This can be a valuable approach to education because in studying the liberal arts, you’re positioning yourself to learn from a variety of perspectives. “Learning new things lets you find different pathways and different solutions,” Powers said.

There are some challenges in studying the liberal arts as well. Paul Witcover, an associate dean overseeing the online MFA in Creative Writing program at WUV, said that one of those challenges has to do with the sheer volume and diversity of information that a liberal arts program of study can include. “You’re covering thousands of years of human history,” he said.

The upside to this is learning how to apply the knowledge you’ve gained, according to Witcover. The process of inquiry and analysis in research helps you engage in forward thinking. So, while you may find the volume of information daunting, if you love researching topics that interest you, the liberal arts can be a great path.

For Dr. Karen Wilkinson, an associate dean overseeing undergraduate and graduate communication at WUV, one of the challenges of a liberal arts degree is the common misconception that they are less practical than more technical or career-specific degrees.

“What we have to remember is that there are so many things that students learn through a liberal arts degree,” she said. According to her, they learn:

• Analytical reasoning
• Critical thinking skills
• Effective communication

These are highly transferable skills for virtually any career field, according to Wilkinson. “And I think what’s so incredibly important (about these skills) is that when you’re in the liberal arts environment, you’re really learning to embrace a love of lifelong learning,” she said.

Can You Be Successful With a Liberal Arts Degree?

The process of communication, reading and understanding, as well as writing and speaking, are key parts of a liberal arts education, according to Dr. Christopher Lee, an associate dean overseeing liberal arts for English degrees at WUV.

In particular, there are several key skills present in most liberal arts programs that are in demand with employers, according to Lee. Those skills are:

• Close Reading: “Workplace hiring managers emphasize (reading closely as) something they really want from their applicants and their employees,” Lee said. The study of liberal arts can help you to understand and focus on interpreting what you read. These skills are helpful for writing documents for a variety of audiences in the workplace, Lee said.
• Synthesizing Ideas: Taking key ideas out of what you read, processing them and drawing out the essential points is also an in-demand skill in the professional workplace, Lee said. Synthesizing ideas is another way to hone your ability to communicate what you need professionally.
• Writing: “By the time students graduate, they’ll have had a lot of practice in writing essays and writing research papers and... various assignments,” Lee said. By having intensive writing practice, including editing and proofreading skills, built into their academic work, liberal arts students are positioning themselves to be desirable job applicants and employees.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), written and verbal communication skills, along with analytical skills, are among the top five skills that employers want. Degrees under the liberal arts umbrella will incorporate them into instruction.

What Can You Do With a Liberal Arts Degree?

A few notable careers well-suited for people with liberal arts degrees, according to the WUV liberal arts leadership team, are:

• Graphic Designer – In this field, you may use text and images to communicate often complex ideas to a variety of audiences, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Some graphic design jobs may require you to demonstrate some sort of applied learning, such as a portfolio, said Sloan Kelly, an associate dean of fine and applied arts at WUV. The median salary for graphic designers for 2024 was $61,300.*
• Historian – A history degree could prepare you for a career in historical research, government service or museum work, according to BLS. Your history degree could also prepare you for a teaching career at the primary, secondary or higher education levels (depending on licensure requirements). BLS cited $74,050 as the median annual salary for 2024.*
• Media and Communication Professional – Jobs in this field may include editors, journalists or social media specialists, to name just a few options available, according to BLS. Liberal arts degrees in English or communication are just two possible avenues for preparation in the fields of new media and business communication. Median salaries may vary depending on specialty, but they generally ranged from $42,520 to $91,670 for jobs requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, as of 2024, according to BLS.*
• Professional Writer – Writing as a profession can take many different forms. Screenwriting, writing fiction, technical writing and grant writing are just a few of the professional opportunities available for skilled writers. While the median salary can vary based on the specific job, the median salary overall for jobs as writers and authors was $72,270 in 2024, according to BLS.*

Listen to what others are doing in liberal arts field in "Passion and Practicality," a podcast from WUV's liberal arts team.

Novelist Hayley-Grace McCormick '24 was able to use her bachelor's degree in English and creative writing from WUV to prepare for her career as a writer.

"I wanted to learn," said McCormick. "I wanted to be a human sponge and to soak up as much information as my brain could and truly understand writing."

Throughout her degree program, McCormick said several courses were beneficial to her, and it was even one of her writing courses that inspired her debut novel, "The Enemy of Time."

"The very beginning of the whole story started in a college class," she said. "It started in a short story class."

No matter which career path you choose, the most important thing about liberal arts skills is how transferable they are, according to Wilkinson. A liberal arts degree doesn't lead you to a specific career path so much as it leads you to the opportunity to find the right industry for you.

Read more: What can you do with a liberal arts degree?

So, Is a Liberal Arts Degree Worth It?

In addition to preparing you for the flexibility in choosing a career path, WUV's liberal arts leadership team said that earning a liberal arts degree helps you with:

• Learning to Analyze Information: “I think that this is incredibly important because we’re living in a rapidly changing world,” Wilkinson said. "There’s tremendous growth within the workplace environment." That growth leads to many opportunities for you to apply the skills you'll learn earning a liberal arts degree. Liberal arts graduates are often particularly well-suited to the process of research and critical thinking.
• Seeing Through the Lens of Others: By considering the views of others who have come before you, you are able to see through the eyes and lens of others. “Having that ability helps you manifest compassion (and) empathy,” Powers said. “Those are all important attributes for any career.”
• Becoming a Lifelong Learner: While studying the liberal arts can prepare you for a career in writing, communications, graphic design and more, perhaps the most important aspect of a liberal arts education is learning to become a lifelong learner. “I don’t feel like I’m ever going to get to the end of my learning,” Wilkinson said. “I’m going to constantly learn and grow. And I think that’s what’s so important and so beautiful about (a) liberal arts degree.”

A liberal arts degree can equip you with the critical thinking, communication and research skills that can help you succeed in any career you choose.

*Cited job growth projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth. Actual salaries and/or earning potential may be the result of a combination of factors including, but not limited to: years of experience, industry of employment, geographic location, and worker skill.

Dr. Marie Morganelli is a career educator and writer, as well as a former higher education administrator. She has taught and tutored composition, literature, and writing at all levels from middle school through graduate school. With two graduate degrees in English language and literature, her focus — whether teaching or writing — is in helping to raise the voices of others through the power of storytelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn.