{"id":17446,"date":"2023-11-08T15:10:29","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T23:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=17446"},"modified":"2023-11-30T16:46:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T00:46:12","slug":"why-a-liberal-arts-degree-is-often-a-ticket-to-career-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/why-a-liberal-arts-degree-is-often-a-ticket-to-career-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a liberal arts degree is often a ticket to career success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/value-of-liberal-arts-degree_top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/value-of-liberal-arts-degree_top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/value-of-liberal-arts-degree_top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/11\/value-of-liberal-arts-degree_top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  The 12th-century Philosophia et septem artes liberales (Philosophy and the Seven Liberal Arts) surrounds Tommy Trojan. The term \u201cliberal arts\u201d dates to ancient Athens, where learning seven \u201carts\u201d made for a liberalis (free citizen). (Composite: Letty Avila. Images: Gus Ruelas; Wikimedia Commons.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Why a liberal arts degree is often a ticket to career success<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  From humanities to high tech: how liberal arts majors are flourishing in unexpected fields.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">USC Dornsife News Staff<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">November 8, 2023<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 1.6884158 4.03502747 1.6884158 1.44087681 0 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10.8c-1.087-2.114-4.046-6.053-6.798-7.995C2.566.944 1.561 1.266.902 1.565C.139 1.908 0 3.08 0 3.768c0 .69.378 5.65.624 6.479c.815 2.736 3.713 3.66 6.383 3.364c.136-.02.275-.039.415-.056c-.138.022-.276.04-.415.056c-3.912.58-7.387 2.005-2.83 7.078c5.013 5.19 6.87-1.113 7.823-4.308c.953 3.195 2.05 9.271 7.733 4.308c4.267-4.308 1.172-6.498-2.74-7.078a8.741 8.741 0 0 1-.415-.056c.14.017.279.036.415.056c2.67.297 5.568-.628 6.383-3.364c.246-.828.624-5.79.624-6.478c0-.69-.139-1.861-.902-2.206c-.659-.298-1.664-.62-4.3 1.24C16.046 4.748 13.087 8.687 12 10.8\"  fill-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n              <\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Bluesky<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_email\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#email\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"E-mail\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_print\">\n              <svg height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 12\" width=\"18\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>For long-term career success, research suggests students should take a cue from ancient Athenians: Study the liberal arts.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/cew.georgetown.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Liberal-Arts-ROI.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a> from Georgetown University\u2019s Center on Education and the Workforce found that degrees from the most selective liberal arts colleges yield a long-term return on investment that\u2019s comparable to degrees from comprehensive, top-tier research universities.<\/p>\n<p>The findings aren\u2019t surprising to Goldman Sachs Managing Director Matt Weir, who graduated in 2003 from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences \u2014 a liberal arts college within a top-tier research university\u2014with an economics degree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I look back historically at the CEOs of Goldman, I can\u2019t think of any who majored in business or finance as undergrads. They majored in political science, English, history or economics. Our current CEO is a Hamilton College political science alum,\u201d says Weir.<\/p>\n<p>The term \u201cliberal\u201d in liberal arts \u2014 which has no association with a political persuasion \u2014 \u00a0stretches back to the democracy of ancient Athens, where seven \u201carts\u201d were considered essential learning for a \u201cfree citizen,\u201d or <em>liberalis.<\/em>These arts included disciplines as diverse as geometry, rhetoric and music.<\/p>\n<p>Today, the liberal arts umbrella is vast, including disciplines in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences such as writing, chemistry, spatial sciences, sociology and much more. This diversity of degrees \u2014 and their varying career prospects \u2014 means that generalizations about liberal arts majors are unreliable.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/research.com\/degrees\/highest-paying-college-majors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Research.com<\/a>, the undergraduate degree that ranks fifth highest in earnings is a liberal arts degree \u2014 physics. Psychology makes the eighth spot and economics the 12th. It\u2019s perhaps unsurprising then that economics and psychology are the two most popular majors at USC Dornsife. Economics has another appeal: It\u2019s also the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mic.com\/articles\/185515\/want-to-get-rich-but-hate-economics-the-most-common-liberal-arts-major-for-billionaires-forbes-2017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">common undergraduate degree held by the world\u2019s billionaires<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Undergraduate degrees in liberal arts are often stepping stones to lucrative careers that require advanced degrees. For instance, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aamc.org\/media\/6061\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">majority of physicians<\/a> majored first in a liberal arts degree, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/bisc\/\">biological sciences<\/a>, before heading to medical school. And biochemists, who make a median salary topping $100,000 annually, usually start with an undergraduate <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/chemistry\/biochemistry-bs\/\">biochemistry <\/a>degree.<\/p>\n<p>Plenty of other liberal arts degrees pack a punch. The degree held by more United States presidents than any other? History. And while one might assume that tech companies are primarily interested in engineers, they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edsurge.com\/news\/2019-02-25-dear-liberal-arts-major-stem-companies-need-your-skills-to-grow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increasingly eager<\/a> to add graduates with degrees in subjects like English or philosophy to their payroll.<\/p>\n<h2>Enviable Skills in the Age of AI and Interactive Media<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe uniquely human skills polished by a well-rounded liberal arts education will make job candidates more competitive for all roles in the digital economy,\u201d says Intuit\u2019s Chief Product Officer Alex Chriss in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/opinion\/knowledge-bank\/articles\/2018-01-19\/in-this-digital-age-students-with-liberal-arts-training-stand-out\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>U.S. News &amp; World Report<\/em> article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence, graduates with humanities and social sciences degrees are proving indispensable. Their deep understanding of human culture, ethics and communication is critical for developing AI that is effective, ethically sound and culturally aware.<\/p>\n<p>The same depth of understanding that makes humanities graduates invaluable in AI is in demand by interactive entertainment companies such as Sucker Punch Productions.<\/p>\n<p>Known for character-driven action games like the hugely popular \u201cGhost of Tsushima,\u201d set in feudal Japan, co-founder Brian Fleming, a physics major, says Sucker Punch needs employees who can help craft complex, historically accurate worlds with rich storylines. So, his team is always looking for people with backgrounds in history, creative writing and art. In fact, about three-quarters of his employees have a background in the liberal arts.<\/p>\n<h2>Leadership Through Liberal Arts<\/h2>\n<p>Sam Palmer, senior manager of human capital at K1 Investment Management, says that a liberal arts background can also be key to career advancement. He speaks from personal experience.<\/p>\n<p>Palmer graduated from USC Dornsife in 2015 with a degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/international-relations-global-business-b-a\/\">international relations and global business<\/a> and credits the program with helping him hone essential business skills for a global market, including problem-solving and working with people from diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to succeed in an executive position, that takes the kind of training you learn in the liberal arts,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because liberal arts colleges help students \u2014 whatever their major \u2014 develop a unique set of skills highly valued by employers. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.symplicity.com\/blog\/3-takeaways-from-naces-2023-job-outlook-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Job Outlook 20<\/em><em>23 Survey<\/em><\/a> by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that critical thinking and communication skills are the two most important competencies employers look for when recruiting. Problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a team are also ranked very highly.<\/p>\n<h2>Cross Discipline Learning: Key to Unlocking Potential<\/h2>\n<p>A key value of a liberal arts education is the opportunity to develop a breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding from courses outside a student\u2019s major. USC Dornsife, for instance, offers more than 90 majors and 90 minors. Many courses blend wide-ranging fields of study, like POSC 449: \u201cPolitical Psychology,\u201d which examines how individual and social psychology impacts politics.<\/p>\n<p>This interdisciplinary learning is a hallmark of a liberal arts education, fostering a well-rounded intellectual foundation valued by many industries.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his economics degree, Goldman Sachs executive Weir says he studied <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/phil\/\">philosophy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/ahis\/\">art history<\/a>, all of which equipped him with skills he\u2019s still using two decades after graduation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough philosophy, I learned the power of outlining a paper or book to truly understand it. That\u2019s something I do constantly in my day job when I assess the rationale behind potential investment opportunities,\u201d he explains. Philosophy also taught Weir how to think logically, which he says helped him become a much clearer thinker than he otherwise would have been.<\/p>\n<p>Art history, on the other hand, allowed him to communicate ideas and make arguments using historically situated knowledge. \u201cHistory is so much about placing yourself in the moment of that specific point in time,\u201d says Weir. Financial markets are cyclical, he adds, which makes an understanding and appreciation of history critical to his line of work.<\/p>\n<p>This capacity to contextualize history speaks to a broader value that can be found in the humanities: empathy. \u201cThe ability to put yourself in someone else\u2019s shoes is one of the skills particularly common to those who study the humanities,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a skill that\u2019s vital in both the workplace and nearly every other facet of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In bridging the gap between historical wisdom and modern innovation, liberal arts majors are not only finding their place but are shaping the future. It turns out that the ancient Athenians may have been onto something \u2014 studying the liberal arts isn&#8217;t just about understanding the past; it&#8217;s about building a versatile and robust foundation for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/physics-professor-uses-bed-of-nails-to-demonstrate-lesson\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Physics professor uses a bed of nails to drive home a lesson on inertia and pressure<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/creative-writing-major-micah-owens-wins-usc-dornsife-magazine-writing-contest\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Childhood in Kenya inspires young Michigan-born student\u2019s desire to write<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/calis-teaches-teens-to-understand-a-changing-world\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Teaching teens to understand a changing world<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From humanities to high tech: how liberal arts majors are flourishing in unexpected fields.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":17447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[75,96,95,97],"class_list":["post-17446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student","tag-humanities","tag-natural-sciences","tag-social-sciences","tag-undergraduate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why a liberal arts degree is often a ticket to career success<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From humanities to high technology fields: Liberal arts majors see long-term success in a wide array of careers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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