Knowing how to think and learn and analyze with a broad range X posture to varied subjects can be more valuable than specific, focused technical or vocational study...

When I look at the list of majors at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_State_University
("Faculties"), I see many majors that would be "liberal arts" in the United States. I see philosophy, Asian and African Studies, History, Fine and Performing Arts, etc.

Also, I'm surprised you refer to your former home as the USSR. I thought only those of us over 50 thought of it that way. Are you over 50?

OP, I think most people with liberal arts degrees have jobs that do not require a specific degree, like accounting or engineering require a particular degree. Maybe liberal arts graduates go to graduate school for something more specific.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

That's really interesting. Does that mean you are not allowed to find a different job after college?

No. In Soviet Russia, job find you.

Wait a minute - so are you saying in Soviet Russia, you could only work as a radio operator????

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

That's really interesting. Does that mean you are not allowed to find a different job after college?

This person is a jerk do not mind her

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

That's really interesting. Does that mean you are not allowed to find a different job after college?

No. In Soviet Russia, job find you.

Many liberal arts colleges also offer a 3-2 engineering degree - three years at the LAC and two at an affiliated college with an engineering department. The student graduates in 5 years with two degree, a BA and a BE.

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

One can study math, physics, or computer science at a LAC.

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

A lot of people who go to liberal arts colleges go on to professional graduate school programs. My undergraduate degree from a liberal arts college is in philosophy. My peers rarely intended to stop with their undergraduate degree. Law school, the seminary, getting a PhD and teaching and writing were all anticipated career paths.

Liberal arts graduates go on to do many different kinds of work, sometimes after earning a graduate or professional degree, but often they'll work for a few years before going on with their education. I attended a liberal arts college and graduated with a degree in history. I then worked as a middle school teacher and then on the staff of a museum, where I coordinated a program to provide summer training for history teachers. After that I went to law school, where my classmates had studied many different disciplines as undergraduates. Some were coming directly from that experience, but others had worked for a while in jobs that included: journalism, acting, police work, investment banking, military service, serving in the Peace Corps, selling used cars, nursing, medicine, professional football, etc.

Oh, one other thing to mention -- at many universities, there's a liberal arts college as a division of the university. So, for example, the University of Chicago has a college of liberal arts for undergraduate study. These liberal arts colleges within universities will offer a liberal arts curriculum similar to that at freestanding liberal arts colleges, but they also offer students the opportunity -- to some extent -- to take courses in other divisions of the university. OTOH, at a liberal arts college within a larger university faculty will probably not be as focused on undergraduate education as would be the faculty at a liberal arts college.

Finally, you mentioned that you studied broadcast journalism and received a degree specifying that you were qualified to work in that field. Of course, many higher education systems around the world follow this model -- students apply for a specific course of study and earn a degree in that field. In the US, though, high school students don't always apply for a specific discipline and they almost never do so at liberal arts colleges. Even at universities, undergraduates retain a great deal of freedom to change their course of study. So, if you aren't sure what you want to study, the US system allows you greater opportunity to explore different options, particularly if you go to a liberal arts college. (OTOH, if you go to a LAC and then decide to pursue a professional degree -- e.g., engineering -- you'll probably need to transfer.

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

There are some professions that require certain degrees, but a liberal arts degree will likely not be labeled as "liberal arts." It will be philosophy or political science or literature or whatever. Some of those degrees are more useful in acquiring certain jobs. For example, I have a degree in political science, and that was more useful in getting jobs that related specifically to government or international relations than would have been a degree in poetry. There are also "liberal arts" degrees that are good transitions into more specific fields. A lot of lawyers have political science undergraduate degrees, for example. Some people who go to medical school for psychiatry have undergraduate degrees in psychology.

Anonymous wrote:This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

That's really interesting. Does that mean you are not allowed to find a different job after college?

This is so different from my education. What types of jobs does one get out of a liberal arts degree. My Russian diploma says, for example, I am qualified to work as a radiio journalist. My other friends diplomas say the same thing. Of course, I don't do that now. I'm a translator.

As a general rule, a liberal arts college doesn't offer any graduate degree programs or have any professional schools. There are a few exceptions to this, but the main focus of a liberal arts college is on undergraduate education. The liberal arts include the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, but, typically not engineering or any other professional degree programs, even at the undergraduate level. Again, there are a few exceptions, but, in general, a liberal arts curriculum isn't intended to prepare a student for a particular profession. Keep in mind, however, that most universities -- again, with very few exceptions -- also offer a liberal arts curriculum, along with programs of study focused more on professional preparation.

So, why go to a liberal arts college? The main reason is the focus on undergraduates, which means that professors generally place more emphasis on teaching, rather than research (though there's a great deal of very interesting research going on at liberal arts colleges in all disciplines.) Also, liberal arts colleges are smaller -- in some cases, much smaller -- than universities, allowing students more opportunities to get to know one another, as well as faculty and administrators. Many graduates of liberal arts colleges cite the close, encouraging friendships they developed with professors as central to their own intellectual and professional development. Similarly, liberal arts colleges often have very supportive alumni/ae networks that provide support for their graduates in many ways. The smaller size of liberal arts colleges also give students more opportunities to play leadership roles in activities, though, it should also be noted that universities, because of their larger size, can offer more activities.

I was born in the former USSR and immigrated to the U.S. after I married my DH. We have a DD who is know looking to study at university. I really do not understand the U.S. higher education system. It is very different from the one I came up through in the USSR/Russia. First, just the number of schools is overwhelming, trying to figure what are the best ones, etc. Secondly, I really I have not idea what is a liberal arts college. How is it different from a university? What exactly are the liberal arts? Why would someone want to study at a liberal arts college vs. a university. Thank you.