Appreciating Your Major in the Liberal Arts
By Courtney Czuprynski
Spring 2025
What if choosing a major wasn’t about job security, but choosing something you are truly passionate about? As a college student, there are lots of choices when choosing a major. Your parents may have told you to choose a major that can get you into a field where you make a lot of money, perhaps with the notion of wanting what is best for you, wanting you to be successful, and be able to live comfortably. Sometimes, they may want you to not repeat the mistakes they made in the past. However, a student may not always want to pursue a business degree, or a medical degree, for example. A student may choose another major, such as one considered a liberal arts.
The liberal arts are an old concept, stated by Historical Horizons, dating back to the 400s BCE in Greece. From the beginning, the liberal arts were about understanding humanity. According to Princeton’s president, Christopher Eisgrube, a liberal arts education is a vital foundation for individual flourishing and the well-being of our society. The liberal arts have expanded in terms of what is considered one, with the modern liberal arts much different from the past. The seven originals were these:
Grammar
Music
Astronomy
Rhetoric
Logic
Geometry
Arithmetic
However, modern liberal arts studies can still reflect the original seven, meaning that they aren’t gone, just blossomed into something new, and more specific studies.
My Experience
I am currently a senior here at North Central College. I always had a passion for history, ever since I was an elementary student watching Liberty Kids in my 5th grade class. At first, I had no idea what to major in, but I kept taking European history classes and enjoyed it very much. So, I chose to double major in history and marketing. After a rather horrid experience with accounting, I dropped marketing to a minor. I became much happier then, feeling the stress leave my shoulders.
When I would tell people about my major, there was always a typical response I got from them. It was always a look full of judgment. Some asked, “What will you do with that?” Or responded with fake kindness, it was easy to tell. However, I didn’t let that bring me down. I love my major and have a deep passion for it.
Modern Liberal Arts
Today, there are more studies that are considered a liberal art. There are three branches in the liberal arts that branch off into specific studies. The three branches are as follows: the humanities, biological sciences and mathematics, and the social sciences.
So, with these branches in mind, what majors fall under them? Here are a few examples:
Humanities
1. History
2. Languages
3. Philosophy
Biological sciences/mathematics
1. Biology
2. Earth Science
Social sciences
1. Political Science
2. Sociology
3. Economics
So, there are a lot of majors that are considered part of the liberal arts. This gives students expansive choices, which some may not realize. According to a research article by Kara A. Godwin and Philip G. Altbach, the liberal arts provides a “broad exposure to the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences in a way that illustrates multiple and interrelated ways of knowing and questioning.” One issue that the liberal arts and students who learn them face is the myth that the liberal arts are well, liberal in a political sense. Meaning students are learning the values of the political left. The Tampa Bay Times states that the “liberal” in liberal arts stems from the Latin word liber and the Greek word eleutheros. Both of these words mean “free.” This idea is reflected in the liberal arts, as students learn about many things, not just what is in their major. It gives them expansive knowledge of the world around them, which is a great help in the future.
Majoring in the Liberal Arts – Facing Questioning
For this blog, I made sure to interview those who majored or are currently majoring in the liberal arts. Libby Gardner is a current North Central senior, who is majoring in political science, with a minor in Spanish. So, she has two areas of study that are liberal arts under her belt. Much like other liberal arts students, people questioned her decision on her major. When asked: As a student, did anyone ever make you question your choice in major? She confirmed that people always ask her what she will do with her major, or assume she wants to go to law school.
Other students, like Libby, face that type of questioning as well. For history students, like me, people always assume they want to be a high school teacher. However, history students can do much more than teaching if they want. Because the liberal arts gives them expansive skills and knowledge, which helps them excel in other fields.
Another interviewee was Dr. Eric Gardner, the Chair of Saginaw Valley State University’s English department. He said while no one actively made him question his choice of major, people always asked him what career he’d go into, and how his major would pay the bills. In the current world, the focus is on going to college, and getting a degree that leads to a high-paying job, which can cause trouble for liberal arts degree students, as with the interview with Dr. Gardner showed, that most people question how one can make a living out of a certain major.
Even some liberal arts students question if they made the right choice. Libby Gardner herself questioned if she made the right choice, with the current political climate, she worried at first if she made the right choice. However, she realises she is grateful for all that she learned thanks to her studies, and wants to make a difference, despite the current politics that worry her.
When the same question was asked to Dr. Gardner, he said something different than Libby, however, this allows for different perspectives. He didn’t recall ever questioning his choice, he felt strongly towards his choice and fell more in love with his decision with the more support he got, and the more he engaged with his work. He knew it was the right field for him.
So, don’t worry if you question yourself a bit at first. Or you may immediately love your decision, it will all be okay. Have confidence in yourself, and the choice you make. You are allowed to pursue your own passions.
Why the Liberal Arts Are Important
According to Gordon S. Watkins, in the 21st volume of Social Sciences, the liberal arts are important because what the liberal arts education provides is as practical as life itself. Watkin’s statement holds true seventy-nine years later, with people still holding the liberal arts in high regard, despite criticisms and myths surrounding it.
Dr Gardner, when asked why the liberal arts are important, he stressed that he is fascinated that most of human existence is engaging with others and building communities. You learn about each other and find common ground. He believes that that is what the liberal arts is, we learn more reading and writing skills, which helps us find out what other folks think, he explained. With what Dr. Gardner said, we can truly see this. The liberal arts teach you about humans, how they work, their nature, their history, and so many ways.
Dr Janacek, a history professor at North Central College stressed the importance of the liberal arts. With the skills gained, you can do anything. These skills can help you get into law school or get into the business world. For example, since a student gains better reading skills, especially with reading complex texts, he recounted how a former student got into pharmaceuticals, and thanks to her liberal arts degree, was able to read those complex documents that were part of her job.
Libby viewed the liberal arts as important because she learned so much from it. Even the speech and writing classes she had to take, it helped her learn new techniques she could apply to her actual classes in her major. So, thanks to the expansive knowledge gained from the liberal arts, she was able to apply it in different classes.
History teaches you how to understand people from the past, their culture, and how we can learn from them, and not repeat their mistakes. Political science teaches us how governments run, from the past, and now. As well as how laws come to be. To put it shortly, no matter what degree that is liberal arts you choose, you learn about humans. How fascinating.
What also makes the liberal arts important is that- it survived extinction. Michael Lind, in a section written for The Wilson Quarterly, revealed how in the late 18th to mid-19th century, the liberal arts were in decline. However, with colleges after WWII making liberal arts required for undergrad, and the new study of classics in translation and a similar approach in the 1930s, the liberal arts were back. You are majoring in an ancient, long-standing field, that survived almost near extinction, how awesome is that?
Being Happy with Your Degree
According to a survey done by Unbound, 70% of students who studied liberal arts in a sample of 222 graduates were satisfied, or highly satisfied with their degree. While this was a bit lower compared to STEM (81%) and business (85%), a majority of the liberal arts graduates were happy with their degree, which is a great confidence boost for liberal arts majors.
Another survey by the Humanities Indicators Project of the American Academy of Arts & Science, which is explained by Inside Higher Ed had a focus on the humanities specifically. In the poll, it was found 90% of humanities majors were happy with their degrees. With this in mind too, you can be happy with your degree- and you should be.
Both Libby Gardner and Dr. Gardner were happy with their degrees too. Dr. Gardner stated how the liberal arts prepare you for almost any field. You don’t have to pursue a career that matches your major. Say you are a history or English major; doesn’t mean you have to be a teacher. He discussed how your degree can get you into politics, and yes, even business. The job market can cause you to shift and change, which exactly is what the liberal arts teaches you to do, with it causing you to expand your knowledge.
Professor Janacek during his undergrad majored in English literature. He knew he had wanted to pursue that major even before he attended college. At the time he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do as a career, but he was deeply immersed in the literature, which he enjoyed.
Libby stated she was happy with her choice. She stated her liberal arts education changed her way of thinking, which she didn’t realise at first. When consuming media, or watching the news, she realised she was able to think more critically, think of different perspectives, and not look at something one-sided. She now can open her mind to different ideas and perspectives.
Coursera makes a list of eleven different jobs (which are high paying, or close to it) that you can get with a liberal arts degree. The list proves how the knowledge gained from your degree can get you a job in any field. Here are some of those eleven jobs Coursera listed:
1. Technical writer
2. Human resources specialist
3. Graphic designer
4. Mediator
5. Market researcher
So, don’t lose hope. You have so many options to choose from. Whether it be in a different field, or something related to your field. Your degree is important, and you should be happy. You get to gain knowledge that those with degrees with hyper-focus on their field of study don’t. They learn skills specific and helpful to their future careers, which is wonderful, considering they’re, for example, going into accounting if they are an accounting major- they gain transferable skills, so they can explore the job market.
Dr Janacek said he would recommend for a new student to pursue a degree in the liberal arts. If you want a specific major, such as accounting, you will major in accounting. “Those are all options [history, economics, etc] for students to pursue because they teach you to read critically, and how to write better.” If you don’t know what major to choose, the liberal arts can help you find your passion, in the liberal arts or not.
So, what?
It is important to remember the importance of your degree. Hold onto the support you gain from family, friends, and maybe even professors. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t majoring in business or pursuing something technological or medical, your degree is still important. You have an expansive knowledge of humanity and many transferable skills. Your future is bright.
A liberal arts education is important because it allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the world around you, especially your fellow humans. You gain understanding of how humans are, and why they do what they do. This is beneficial for any job, whatever you may choose to pursue. This is because, in almost any job, you are interacting with other people.
Courtney Czuprynski is a 4th year student at North Central College. She is in her last semester of undergrad. Courtney has a major in history and a minor in marketing. She is the first in her immediate family to attend college, making her part of the first-gen program at NCC. She has a passion for history. She works at a part-time job as a dog walker, to fit in with her hectic class schedule. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends and family, being with her two dogs, and creative writing. She also enjoys walks in forest preserves, enjoying nature. She will be returning to North Central in the fall of 2025 to get her master’s degree in business administration.