Is a BA in Lib Studies worthless?

Guys,

I'm persuing probably the most general degree out there, a BA in the Lib Studies Area from TESC. For now, my main is goal simply to get a bachelor's degree and lib studies is the one I'm closest to completing since my credits are all over the place. But once I leave the military I'll need to use that degree to help me find work.

From my observations a BA, especially in Liberal Studies, is frowned upon by others persuing more specialized majors. But for a kid from the streets of Chicago and it's public schools, it is an important accomplishment. Just hate to think that's where I'll end up (on the streets) with this degree.

Okay, so I've heard the *opinions*...now I'm looking to hear from those who have first- or second-hand knowledge of how people with this type of degree fare in the workplace. Not asking for overly-optimistic outlooks...just real ones.

Thank you,
4Q

 

I was graduated from St. Martin's College in 1975 with a BA in Humane Studies. It has proved FAR from worthless.
Nosborne

 

There are some occupations that REQUIRE a liberal arts degree... for example in California school teachers are encouraged to have a liberal arts baccalaureate degree! (Those who don't have additional hoops to jump through in the credentialing process)

BruceP in Colorado Springs

 

Based on what I've seen from a lifetime of browsing classified ads (it's old habit), most jobs that require a degree require just that...a degree. Most employers aren't picky about what the degree is in. This subject is addressed in BG14.

However, I can't resist a joke (I'm just kidding here):

Engineering majors ask "How is it done"?

Philosophy majors ask "Why is it done"?

Liberal Arts majors ask "Would you like fries with that"?


Bruce

 

Below is a link to an article that explores the career implications of a liberal arts degree versus an "applied-program degree."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/common/FullStory.html&cf=tgam/common/FullStory.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&date =20010924&dateOffset=&hub=education&title=Education&cache_key=education&current

 

In my opinion, a BA in liberal studies is a very worthwhile degree. In fact, it has some advantages over more specific majors. For example, if a person holds a Bachelor's in accounting and elects to change careers, the accounting degree is often discounted in the marketplace.

A liberal arts degree will retain its value throughout your career.

David L. Boyd (a former CPA)

 

There is no such thing as a "worthless" degree (as long as it is not a product of a mill!!).


CFr

 

In reply to your remark, I suggest that you read the following book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767905717/qid=1005083602/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_15_4/102-3211251-4572957


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Sam C
www.uci.edu
UCI 2002
[email protected]
Confusion is just the path to insight and knowledge

 

It would seem Caroline Bird has been updated. ("The Case Against College")

Rich Douglas

 

Mr. Douglas, essentially you are correct, except that Linda Lee wrote "Success Without College"(drawing partially on prior statistics from "The Case Against College")


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Sam C
www.uci.edu
UCI 2002
[email protected]
Confusion is just the path to insight and knowledge

 

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True, I agree, there will always be exceptions to the rule, but one must ask themselves, how luck do they feel in finding “success” without the proper preparation (education)!

I will stick with the degree - any day!!

CFr

 

Which brings us back to one of the most important questions in education... what do you want to do with your degree? If you want to go into engineering this degree would not get you where you want to be.

If you want a "well-rounded" education, and be able to be conversant in a wide array of disciplines a liberal arts degree might very well be right up your alley!

Sure, there are those who may poke fun at a liberal arts degree (NOT a flame at Bruce), but these are probably the same people who might classify a degree in English, history or religion as worthless too. I think the greatest value to a liberal arts degree (from the right school) is being able to think critically and communicate persuasively!

These arguments aside, does anyone out there know what kind of degree the person had who invented the "pet rock" and made BIG money with this seemingly stupid idea?

BruceP in Colorado Springs

 

Gary Dahl invented and sold the Pet Rock. He made about $4 million (in 1975 dollars), and has since been a successful motivational speaker. In 2000, Dahl won a competition for the worst written sentence. Submitting 5 entries, he also won second prize. The winner:

''The heather-encrusted Headlands, veiled in fog as thick as smoke in a crowded pub, hunched precariously over the moors, their rocky elbows slipping off land's end, their bulbous craggy noses thrust into the thick foam of the North Sea like bearded old men falling asleep in their pints.''

I cannot find a reference to any university degrees Dahl holds.

Rich Douglas

 

After a brutal battering from Bruce, BruceP stands up like a man and says, "Yes Sir! Give me another."

The advantage of a classical education is that it enables you to despise the wealth which it prevents you from achieving.
--Russell Green

No offense. Here is a retort for you convenience:

An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The architect said he enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship.

The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because of the passion and mystery he found there.

The engineer said, "I like both."

"Both?"

Engineer: "Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman, and you can go to the office and get some work done."

 

I think that it is a mistake to confuse 'liberal arts' with 'liberal studies'.

The term 'liberal arts' derives from the medieval university curriculum. Latin: 'liber' ("free" as in 'free man'), and 'ars' ("skill"). It refers to skills appropriate to an aristocrat rather than to a servant. Literature, philosophy and astronomy are liberal arts subjects, business administration, animal husbandry and nursing are not.

This class distinction lives on today. USNews divides bachelors-level colleges into the more prestigious ("better") 'liberal arts' colleges, and the less prestigious ("worse") 'comprehensive' colleges, stained by offering too many occupational subjects and suitable for lesser students.

Liberal arts students typically pursue a major in a traditional academic subject, something high-toned from the arts and sciences.

'Liberal studies' is something different. It is a general education degree program without a specialized major. It may have a specialization area, but typically devotes fewer units to it than a major, and more units to general education.

Is a liberal studies degree valuable? Sure.

Any education is valuable. While one's preparation in this kind of program is not deep, it is broad. Ideally that kind of interdisciplinary focus might allow a student to make connections that would be impossible for a specialist. And a broad education arguably produces people better able to deal with the diverse challenges of citizenship.

Will a liberal studies degree get you a job? Depends.

Liberal studies programs were typically created to produce elementary school teachers. They are obviously job-preparatory in that field. And as Bruce has pointed out, many job openings specify only that the applicant have a bachelor's degree in any subject. The idea is to attract professional-level people: literate applicants who can write and speak well, who can analyze and comprehend complex information and make informed decisions.

But many job announcements do specify particular majors. Employers want BSEEs or people with degrees in the health professions. This is more common in the more technical fields. Ironically, the degrees in greatest demand are those in the "lesser" occupational subjects outside the traditional liberal arts. A general liberal studies graduate would not be qualified for these kind of positions.

As far as graduate admissions go, it varies. Most gradute programs require a bachelor's degree in the same (or a related) field. Certainly this is true in the traditional liberal arts subjects and in technical fields. You can't normally get into a mathematics graduate program unless you have the equivalent of a math bachelors degree.

But there are other fields that don't normally require a bachelors degree in the same subject for graduate admissions. Law and business administration are examples. (Though business programs may require poorly prepared applicants to take some additional coursework.) A liberal studies degree might be fine for admission into these subjects. And there are a number of liberal studies/humanities graduate programs on the masters level (CSUDH etc.), and even a small handful of doctoral programs in interdisciplinary areas (Union, CIIS etc.)

 

A degree is only as worthless as its holder perceives it to be.

 

Like most everyone else has said, it really depends on what you intend to do with it.

If you want to be a public school teacher, it's possibly an alternate route and you could still probably use it. Public school teachers, however, have to be in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires them to be "highly qualified". For your initial certification, regardless of your state or state testing standards, you'll need a certain amount of college credit hours (approximately 24 semester hours) in one specific field that you will test in. For example, to receive your teacher certification to teach K-12 theatre arts, you'll need 24 semester hours of theatre arts classes (usually from an RA school). Beyond that, it's up to the state. Most states will allow you to certify initially in one field, and then waive the requirements for further certifications. If you want to teach 8-12 English, for example, but you have history credits, you could take your history teaching exam because you have the hours to meet the "highly qualified" requirement, but once you pass it you could take the English certification test (and provided you passed it, you'd be certified in English, too).

Liberal studies can be an excellent starting point for heading into a law degree or completing a master's program. In a lot of liberal arts programs it seems that having a varied group of interests that relate to the graduate degree you want to study could be beneficial. At the same time, though, you're going to have universities that frown upon the fact that you chose something that wasn't more specific/specialized.

Ultimately, I think that lots of people frown on liberal studies degrees because the options that you have can be far more limited (depending on what you choose to do), but I think there are just as many people that don't care (or find it actually a boon) that you have a degree in liberal studies.

Just getting a degree, regardless of what it's in, is better than not getting a degree at all. Part of the education process, especially from an employer's perspective, is that you are responsible enough to have completed a degree. This shows some level of maturity and your ability to stick with something.

Do I think, personally, that a liberal studies degree is going to be the most amazing thing that's happened to you? Honestly, no. I do, however, think that it will provide you with a diverse initial education and will offer you the stepping stone that you need to further educate yourself on the graduate level. Take my path for example. My bachelor's is going to be in social science. What is social science you ask? Basically liberal studies. It's specifically focused, however, to meet the requirements to receive teacher certification for middle school teaching, though. With the way that my credits, just like yours, are all over the place, it is in my best interest to simply complete the social science degree. I'm not stopping at the bachelor's, however. I'll complete a MAED in Administration so that I can sit for my principalship. Beyond that, everything's TBD, but this is where I'm making my long-winded point. A liberal studies degree isn't so bad, you just need to have plans for it and actually use it to fulfill something that needs to be fulfilled, rather than simply getting the undergraduate and leaving it at that.

Good luck with the degree though. I think it's an excellent decision to choose to get a degree, regardless of what the field or fields is/are. Having a degree is better than not having one at all.

 

This is a great thread. I was thinking about starting this same thread. I guess I got beat to it.

I'm currently enrolled at FHSU in the BGS program. I often ask myself if I really want to take this route. I guess I will take gen ed classes until I make up my mind.

 

Yeah, 4Q beat you to it by 7 years, 1 month. and 26 days. Oh, well!

 

I earned my BSLS late in my career (I have an UK qualification that counts as a degree in aerospace but not academia) so it did not help me with my job but it did get me into two masters programs which has help my current status as a aerospace consultant.