Study Liberal Arts in New Hampshire
Getting a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from a New Hampshire school or online school is a great step towards a new career. You can also use your studies to prepare for a graduate degree. Either way, you are sure to find the available programs in New Hampshire fitting for your academic and career goals.
Each of the programs listed below offers a unique take on a liberal arts curriculum. Though not all programs listed here are based in New Hampshire, those that are out of state offer online options so you can complete your studies while living in the Granite State.
Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Programs in New Hampshire
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering liberal arts bachelor’s programs in New Hampshire:
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Plymouth State University
- University of Massachusetts-Lowell
- University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
- Vermont State University
- Saint Anselm College
- Keene State College
- Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
- Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
Southern New Hampshire University
Bachelor of Arts in General Studies
At Southern New Hampshire University, you can complete a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies completely online. This format gives you the greatest flexibility for finishing your undergraduate degree.
SNHU has a generous transfer policy that allows you to transfer as many as 90 credits. With just 120 credits needed to graduate, you might only need to finish 30 credits to get your degree. That’s just one year worth of courses!
Of course, the credits you transfer are evaluated closely to ensure they align with the general studies curriculum. Provided your credits are from a regionally accredited institution, there’s a good chance SNHU will accept them.
Even if you are starting as a first-year student, this program can be completed quickly – as little as three years to finish the entire curriculum. You can make this dream a reality by simply taking a couple of courses each summer or adding one course to your fall schedule and another to your spring schedule each year.
As noted above, this program requires 120 credits to graduate. You will complete general education courses, major courses, concentration courses, and free electives to fulfill the necessary graduation requirements. All students must take general education courses, which include studies in the following fields:
- English composition
- Mathematics
- Humanities
- Social sciences
- Natural sciences
- History
These courses comprise roughly half of the graduation requirements. The other half includes coursework specific to your general studies degree. You can complete these credits by taking free electives and selecting a concentration area. SNHU offers more than 25 concentrations in areas as varied as psychology, sports management, writing, and business administration.
Let’s say you enroll in the psychology concentration. Doing so requires you to take courses like Abnormal Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Psychological Statistics. You must also take an Introduction to Psychology class and can enroll in a psychology internship course if you like.
But, let’s say you prefer to concentrate your studies in business administration. In that case, you might take classes like Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Business Law. This concentration also offers an optional internship, if you like.
While the coursework in your concentration area is determined by your specialization, all specializations require you to complete at least 12 credits. Along with free electives and a required course in Strategies for Specialization Planning, you will complete all the requirements to get your degree.
You can apply to SNHU and enroll in this program online. To do so, you must complete the following steps:
- Fill out the online application
- Complete an attestation form that you have graduated from high school or completed a GED program
- Submit transcripts from every college or university you have attended
The application process only takes about five minutes to complete. You don’t have to pay an application fee or submit ACT or SAT scores. Once you’re accepted, you can choose from multiple start dates to commence with your studies.
Once you begin your program, you will find that SNHU has a robust online learning environment. It’s one of the largest online universities in the nation, so you will benefit from 24/7 access to your online classroom, digital learning resources, academic advising, and many other online learning amenities.
Plymouth State University
Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science – Interdisciplinary Studies
Plymouth State’s Interdisciplinary Studies program can be completed as either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. Though these types of degrees are highly similar, there are some distinct differences.
First, a Bachelor of Arts usually requires world languages as part of the curriculum. You can expect to take at least two semesters of the same language. A BA program often allows you to take more free electives, too, which gives you a little more control over the courses you take.
Second, a Bachelor of Science emphasizes science-based coursework like biology, chemistry, and physics. Though you typically must complete more science courses, you often do not have to take a world language sequence. Additionally, BS degrees usually include fewer free electives. This shouldn’t be an issue if you have the capability of tailoring your degree to your specific academic interests, though.
No matter if you choose the BA or BS option, you must complete at least 51 credits within the interdisciplinary studies major from two or more academic areas of your choice. You can choose fields that are closely related, like English and communications, or you can choose completely different fields, like business administration and chemistry.
However, the concentrations you select must have a coherent theme. So, choosing emphasis areas like business administration and chemistry would necessitate an explanation of how they relate thematically – perhaps your occupational goal is to work in the pharmaceutical industry.
As another example, you might choose environmental science and journalism as your primary areas of inquiry. These options would be a good choice if you envision yourself as an environmental journalist in the future. Fortunately, Plymouth State allows you to select whatever fields you like – you are limited only by your imagination! You will have the benefit of working with academic advisors from inside and outside the interdisciplinary studies program to develop your course of study.
Along with the credits you take in two or more emphasis areas, you must also take several required interdisciplinary studies courses:
- Foundations of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Cluster Learning Springboard
- Interdisciplinary Studies Senior Seminar
Each of these courses helps focus your attention on building relevant knowledge and skills that you can draw on as you investigate various academic fields throughout the program.
Of course, you must also complete typical general education courses to finish your degree. Roughly 60 credits of math, science, humanities, English, and other core coursework are needed. All told, this degree requires 120 credits to graduate, which you can do in about four years.
You must meet the following criteria to apply as a first-year student:
- Submit a free application for admission
- Submit high school transcripts or proof of GED (with evidence of completing four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, three years of science, and two years of a foreign language (highly recommended)
- Write an essay on one of the prompts provided by the university
- Provide at least one academic letter of recommendation
Plymouth State is a test-blind institution, meaning ACT and SAT scores are not required.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Bachelor of Liberal Arts
The Bachelor of Liberal Arts program at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell might not be a New Hampshire-based program, but it is 100 percent online, so you can easily complete the degree from the comfort of home. The program requires 120-122 credits to complete and requires you to choose two concentration areas to create a multidisciplinary degree.
UML offers numerous concentrations from which you can choose, each of which is a unique field all to its own. From graphic design to political science to art history, there are fields of study for every student. Other options include the following:
- Criminal Justice
- Disability Studies
- Economics
- English
- Gender Studies
- History
- Legal Studies
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Sociology
Many of these programs fit well together to create a combined degree. Philosophy and legal studies are an ideal combination if you are interested in a career as an attorney. You might combine criminal justice and psychology if graduate studies in forensic psychology are of interest to you. Likewise, you could combine history and gender studies if you wish to pursue graduate work in an area like feminist history or the history of women.
However, you don’t have to choose concentrations that are that closely related. For example, you might choose legal studies and disability studies to prepare for law school with a concentration in disability law. You could also combine economics and sociology to prepare for a career as a socieconomist. The options are limitless!
The concentration courses comprise 36 of the total credits needed to graduate. You must also take 12-15 credits of a foreign language, 30 credits of free electives, and 36-38 credits of university core requirements (or general education requirements as they are often called). The final component of this program are two three-credit interdisciplinary studies courses: Foundations in Liberal Studies and a Bachelor of Liberal Studies Capstone.
The Foundations course focuses on skills development, specifically those that are necessary for multidisciplinary inquiry, like analytical, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills. This course is taken early on in the program to give you a solid foundation upon which to build your education. The Capstone course occurs at the end of the program and requires you to apply what you’ve learned in an original research project. You can also choose to do a creative art project.
This degree is open to first-year and continuing students. In fact, you can transfer up to 90 credits to this program, so if you have started a degree elsewhere, you could complete your degree at UML in as little as one year. Though first-year students typically need four years to finish a degree like this, three years is often all that’s needed to finish this program.
Like many online liberal arts programs, the one from UML is the same curriculum that’s taught on campus. You will learn from the same professors and complete the same assignments and assessments as on-campus students as well.
You can complete UML’s undergraduate application for admission online. You must submit a $60 application fee with your completed application. You must have a high school diploma, GED, or passing score on the HiSet to apply.
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
UMass-Dartmouth’s online Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts is a convenient way to complete your degree, even if you live outside of Massachusetts. This is especially true if you live in New Hampshire or another East Coast state, as you are in the same time zone as the program’s professors. This can make it easier to plan your study time to coincide with their office hours or any online class meetings you’re required to attend.
As is typical of programs like this, you must complete at least 120 credits to graduate. This equates to 15 credits each fall and spring semester for four years. However, UMass-Dartmouth allows for up to 90 transfer credits to count toward this degree, so you can significantly reduce the number of credits you need to graduate by using credits from another institution.
There are four components to this program: general education courses, electives, liberal arts core courses, and major-area courses.
General education courses are introductory-level classes in a broad range of academic fields that all students must complete. This includes coursework in math, science, English, and the humanities, to name a few. You can take elective courses in these fields, too, or explore other general academic pursuits, such as art, physical education, or business.
The core courses for this major include just three classes, each of which is three credits:
- Introduction to Studies Across the Disciplines
- Seminar in Multidisciplinary Studies
- Intermediate Composition
The Introduction to Studies Across the Disciplines course emphasizes the development of skills necessary for liberal arts studies – critical thinking, leadership, information literacy, and creativity, to name a few. This course occurs at the beginning of the program.
The Seminar on Multidisciplinary Studies serves a similar purpose. You will complete this course at the beginning of the program as an introduction to the rigors of research and writing across several broad fields of academic inquiry. The topics you explore are assigned by your professor and challenge you to be a good consumer of information.
The third required course, IntermediateComposition, also emphasizes your development as an effective writer. You will learn techniques for enhancing your writing style, including developing your unique voice as a writer. You will also study different types of writing, including persuasion, argumentation, and exposition.
The bulk of your major-area studies include coursework in two disciplines of your choice. Each discipline includes 15 credits of coursework for a total of 30 major-area credits. UMass-Dartmouth offers numerous concentration areas:
- Economics
- Women’s and Gender Studies
- English Literature and Criticism
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- History
- Urban Studies
- Sociology and Anthropology
As noted earlier, you can combine fields that are directly related to one another or pursue studies in areas that aren’t as obviously related. Whatever combination of concentrations you select, you will have the flexibility of online learning to allow you to study when it’s convenient for you.
In fact, most courses in this program are taught asynchronously. This means there are no set days or times when you have to “meet” for class online. Instead, you log into your UMass-Dartmouth and access course materials when it’s convenient for you. It should be noted, however, that asynchronous courses still have set due dates throughout the semester that you will need to meet to remain in good standing.
You must meet the following requirements to apply:
- Submit an undergraduate application for admission along with a $30 application fee
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you have attended
- Submit high school transcripts and official ACT or SAT scores (if you have earned fewer than 13 college credits)
You must also submit a 500-word personal essay if you have not yet earned 13 or more college credits. If you completed high school via a GED, you must provide a copy of your certificate and your GED test record.
Vermont State University
Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
Vermont State University offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies that’s a valuable option for you as a student in New Hampshire. This is a self-designed program with limited parameters that give you the ultimate flexibility for completing your degree.
Though the program is self-designed, you will rely on the input of your academic advisor to help you create the program. Together, you will identify your primary academic interests and explore the disciplines you wish to study. You will develop a plan of study, which includes a narrative proposal outlining the purpose of your proposed curriculum and how each area of inquiry is related. This proposal is submitted to the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee, which is responsible for approving the program before you can proceed.
Sample plans of study from past semesters include Gender Studies, Global Studies, STEM, and the Arts. You are not limited to these fields, though.
Of the 120 credits required to graduate, the interdisciplinary studies core comprises 42. These credits are divided amongst several categories:
- Primary Area of Study
- Secondary Area of Study
- Tertiary Area of Study
- ECE: An Extended Classroom Experience
- Capstone Experience
The Primary Area of Study includes 18 credits of coursework in the academic field in which you wish to specialize. The Secondary Area of Study is a 12-credit sequence of courses directly related to and in support of the Primary Area of Study. For example, you might select environmental science as your Primary Area and biology as your Secondary Area.
Another nine credits of courses are required in the Tertiary Area of Study. Again, this field of inquiry must relate to the Primary and Secondary Areas in some way. So, for example, if you have chosen environmental science and biology as your Primary and Secondary fields, your Tertiary studies might be in organic chemistry.
A unique component of this program is the ECE requirement. To fulfill this requirement, you must participate in an experiential learning activity of some sort – such as a practicum or internship. The experience must be hands-on in nature and include 20 or more hours of clock time.
The final part of the major-area coursework is a capstone experience. This research-based project helps you integrate what you have learned throughout the program and highlight your development as a student. You must present your research prior to graduation.
As a result of your work in this degree program, you will graduate with a deeper knowledge of the three academic areas you chose for your plan of study. You will also develop crucial soft skills applicable to careers of all sorts. Other learning outcomes you will achieve include the following:
- Explain the rationale for choosing your plan of study
- Articulate the value of interdisciplinary studies
- Identify meaningful connections between your studies and life outside the classroom
- Connect your plan of study to your long-term goals
You must meet the following requirements to apply as a first-year student:
- Submit an application for admission
- Provide official high school transcripts or GED scores
- Submit a personal statement or essay
- Submit a letter of recommendation
What are the Liberal Arts Career Opportunities in New Hampshire?
Your undergraduate degree in liberal arts can lead to various careers in New Hampshire. Focusing your studies on fields like criminal justice and psychology can make you a good candidate for a career in law enforcement. Likewise, you might work for probation and parole, supervising offenders who have been released from custody.
A completely different line of work you might consider is marketing or advertising. A liberal arts degree in one of these fields could help you get a job with a marketing firm in one of New Hampshire’s largest cities, like Nashua or Manchester. Journalism, tourism, education, and human services are additional areas in which you might find work.