Study Liberal Arts in Washington State

Washington State is home to some of the most epic scenery in the lower 48 states. From Mount Rainier to Puget Sound, the high deserts of eastern Washington to the rainforests on the coast, there is no lack of outdoor entertainment.

But Washington State isn’t just about the beautiful scenery – it’s also a destination for students like you who wish to get a high-quality education. The state has dozens of four-year colleges and universities and dozens more community colleges and technical schools. If a liberal arts degree is in your future, you can attain that goal in one of the popular programs outlined in this guide.

Best Accredited Liberal Arts Colleges and Bachelors Programs in Washington State Online

Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Programs in Washington State

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering liberal arts bachelor’s programs in Washington State:

  • Eastern Washington University
  • University of Washington-Bothell
  • Central Washington University
  • Western Washington University
  • Evergreen State College
  • Whitman College
  • Pacific Lutheran University
  • Walla Walla University
  • University of Puget Sound

Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington University offers multiple pathways for you to get a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies or Liberal Arts. The university also offers a degree with a significant component of prior learning credits available.

The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies is a good option if you have academic interests that span more than one content area. You can choose courses from two or three departments, programs, disciplines, or certificates offered by the university. You will do so with the guidance of the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies to ensure your program meets the university’s requirements for graduation.

In addition to completing general education requirements, this degree option requires you to complete the following for a total of 60 credits:

  • Breadth Area Core Requirements in ​​Humanities and Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences
  • University Graduation Requirements, including courses in Diversity, Foreign Languages, and Global Studies
  • A minor or certificate
  • A senior capstone

The Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts option is specifically for students with an academic interest in the social sciences, humanities, and physical sciences. This program offers studies in all three areas (20 credits each) to give you a well-rounded program that facilitates the development of critical thinking and research-related skills. You must complete the Breadth Area, University Graduation Requirements, minor, and capstone requirements as outlined above, too.

The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Prior Learning Option offers another avenue for completing your degree. This program is designed for students who have at least five years of professional work experience. The idea is that you have developed university-level skills through your job and, as such, should earn credit for that learning.

To do so, you must be able to explain and demonstrate what you have learned on the job in an academic portfolio. This portfolio is evaluated by university faculty to determine what credit you can earn. The university helps prepare you to develop your portfolio by requiring you to take a Portfolio Development course.

Again, the same Breadth Area, University Graduation Requirements, minor, and capstone requirements as outlined above are required. Furthermore, you must have two years of high school studies in a foreign language or one year of college-level foreign language study.

Eastern Washington’s application for admission is available online. As a transfer student, you must also provide unofficial high school transcripts and official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended. If you have more than 40 college credits, you only need to submit official college transcripts from previous institutions.

The University of Washington-Bothell

Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at UW-Bothell offers the flexibility of studying on a schedule that’s convenient for you. Core courses are available during the day and evening, and hybrid and fully online course options are also available.

This degree focuses specifically on the field of social sciences. Your coursework will be in a broad range of social science topics, but your degree program will have a specific direction that enables you to master the social science topics of greatest interest to you. For example, you can customize your program to prepare you for a career in human resources, social work, or education, as just a few examples.

While you have the freedom to tailor your studies to a career area of your choice, you do have to complete certain requirements to complete the degree. For example, you must take a five-credit Interdisciplinary Inquiry course that prepares you for the rigors of high-level studies in the social sciences. Likewise, you must complete a Portfolio and Career Development course and a Portfolio Capstone course, too.

Additionally, you are required to complete 10 credits of skills and methods courses in interdisciplinary studies. These courses include options such as:

  • Topics in Qualitative Inquiry
  • Policy Analysis
  • Approaches to Social Research
  • Science Methods and Practice
  • Human Rights in Theory and Practice

Other options include Understanding Statistics, Environmental Education, and Community Organizing. You must take Interdisciplinary Practice and Reflection courses as well.

Another 25 credits are required in upper-division social science courses. These courses must be at the 300 or 400 level and round out the core 52 credits needed for this degree. The remaining credits are comprised of general education courses and electives. You can petition the university to transfer up to 20 credits of upper-level social science credits from other institutions to fulfill the requirements of this degree.

You can start your application for first-year admission to UW-Bothell online. Alternatively, you can apply as a transfer student. Basic admissions requirements are as follows:

  • Successfully complete high-school College Academic Distribution Requirements
  • Maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher
  • Submit high school transcripts
  • Provide proof of English language proficiency, if applicable

The same basic admissions requirements apply if you are a transfer student to UW-Bothell.

Central Washington University

Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts

At Central Washington University, you can complete a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts that explores the arts and humanities. More specifically, you can focus your studies on the following:

  • Fine Arts
  • Visual Arts
  • Performance Arts
  • Human Society
  • Culture
  • Critical and Analytical Thinking

While most of the courses you will take come from the arts and humanities, you have the flexibility of adding studies in other fields that are aligned thematically with your concentration area. For example, if you choose Human Society as your concentration, you might take courses in sociology, anthropology, or religious studies. As another example, an emphasis on Critical and Analytical Thinking might involve thematic studies in mathematics, statistics, philosophy, and so forth.

You have the additional flexibility of choosing what the university calls a Large Plan or a Small Plan. The Large Plan involves one 65-credit major (with the rest of the degree credits coming in the form of electives and general education courses). This is a good option if you have a specific course of study in mind for a specific career. Alternatively, you can opt for the Small Plan, which requires you to either double major or have a major and a minor. This plan requires 45 credits toward your undergraduate degree.

Another option you might consider is CWU’s Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. Like the B.A. in Liberal Arts described above, the Interdisciplinary Studies option gives you a lot of freedom to design your own academic program. You can blend majors and minors to create a course of study that works best for your career goals.

For example, if you aspire to become a lawyer, you might design a degree with courses in law, history, philosophy, and psychology. If you want to become a therapist, you might take courses in psychology, human development, and social sciences research, to name a few.

In fact, the Interdisciplinary Studies option offers many disciplines to choose from. These include the following:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • History
  • Law and Justice
  • Anthropology
  • Women’s Studies
  • Economics
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geography
  • Political Science

When applying, you must submit a $60 application fee, high school transcripts (if applicable), and transcripts from every college or university you have attended (if applicable). The criteria for admission depends on your status. For example, you are guaranteed admission as a first-year student with a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher. If your high school GPA is 2.5-2.99, you might be asked to submit a personal statement. If your GPA is below 2.5, you may still qualify for admission after a review of your application materials.

Western Washington University

Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies

Western Washington University’s Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies puts you in the driver’s seat of your education. Working with university staff and advisors, you will develop a program of study that caters to your specific interests. There are two interdisciplinary options available: a general Interdisciplinary Concentration and an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Law, Diversity, and Justice Emphasis.

The Interdisciplinary Concentration is intended for self-direction students who wish to integrate the study of multiple disciplines into a customized major. Since this major is customizable, the courses you take will depend on the design of the program. However, you must take core courses such as:

  • Critical and Reflective Inquiry
  • Core: Humanities and the Expressive Arts I
  • Social Relationships & Responsibilities: Theories and Critiques
  • Core: Science and Our Place on the Planet I
  • Writing & Transition Conference

Additionally, you must take at least six credits of concentration studies, including a senior capstone project that involves detailed independent research. A four-credit advanced seminar is also required in which you reflect on your learning, evaluate your major, and explore how your education prepares you for the world of work.

The Law, Diversity, and Justice Emphasis requires the same courses in the bulleted list above, as well as the concentration studies, senior capstone, and advanced seminar. You must also take at least one course in the following areas:

  • Humanities and the Expressive Arts II
  • Society and the Individual II
  • Science and Our Place on the Planet II

An additional 32-35 credits within the Law, Diversity, and Justice Emphasis are required for graduation. You can supplement your education with any number of experiential learning opportunities, too. For example, senior projects, independent study opportunities, and community-based internships are available for both interdisciplinary degrees. Study abroad programs are also available in locations around the globe.

Both degree options are part of a 180-quarter credit program that requires at least 60-quarter credits of upper-division coursework. Likewise, both options are offered by the Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, a small liberal arts college housed within Western Washington University.

You can begin the admissions process to Western Washington University online. To qualify as a first-year student, you must complete the College Academic Distribution Requirements in high school and have a cumulative high school GPA of 2.0 or higher.

If applying as a transfer student, you must have a 2.0 college GPA or higher. Western Washington limits the number of transfer students it accepts, so meeting this requirement does not guarantee that you’ll be admitted.

What are the Liberal Arts Career Opportunities in Washington?

Washington offers unique career opportunities in many fields, but especially for students like you who wish to complete a degree in liberal arts. A good example of this is pursuing a career in environmental science. With a liberal arts degree focusing on areas like biology, natural resources, and wildlife management, you might find work for any number of environment-related agencies based in Washington, like the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, or Forest Service.

A related option is to use a liberal arts degree with an emphasis on waterways, wetlands, and natural resources to start a career as a watershed science technician. You might work to preserve pristine waterways, explore ways to remove dams and other obstructions in critical fish habitats or lead cleanup efforts of waterways that have been contaminated. With so many lakes, rivers, and miles of ocean coastline, this could be a lucrative job in Washington.

A completely different career you might consider is working with people who have addictions. Many liberal arts programs in Washington have courses in psychology, addictions, and social science, which can prepare you for an entry-level job as an addictions counselor or case manager. Likewise, you might consider working as a career counselor to help people with addictions find gainful employment after successfully completing treatment.

Having a degree in liberal arts that focuses on arts, communication, and marketing could lead to a career in advertising. Washington has many digital and print publications that rely on advertising revenue. With your advanced communication skills and knowledge of sales, you could be a valuable asset to a publication in the Evergreen State.

You don’t have to enter the workforce after completing your bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, though. This kind of degree is excellent preparation for going to graduate or professional school in Washington. In fact, a liberal arts degree can prepare you for varied studies like law, education, or counseling, to name a few. Washington has many excellent graduate and professional schools, too, so you can easily find a program that fits your needs best.

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