Liberal Arts and Business Degrees
Liberal arts and business are two of the most popular undergraduate majors in the United States. In fact, in 2022, liberal arts degrees were the top option for undergraduate students and business-related degrees were third-most popular.
There’s good reason for this, too – these degrees prepare you for many different careers. What’s more, you can find some well-paying careers with degrees in these fields as well.
So, which degree should you pursue?
This guide compares liberal arts and business degrees on a number of different metrics. Read on to learn more about which pathway will help you reach your academic and career goals!
Liberal Arts Degree Vs. Business Degree
A liberal arts degree emphasizes critical thinking, communication, and a broad understanding of various subjects like literature, history, and philosophy. In contrast, a business degree focuses on practical skills related to commerce, like finance, marketing, and management.
Both degrees usually require about four years of full-time studies to complete. In most cases, you will need around 120 semester credits to graduate. Moreover, both degrees are commonly offered on campus and online, giving you added flexibility for finishing your studies.
In both cases, you will typically find Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) options for liberal arts and business degrees. The difference between these types of degrees usually comes down to a foreign language requirement for BA programs and a more robust math and science course load for BS programs.
Of course, as noted earlier, both degrees offer a great deal of career flexibility, too. Yet, there are many differences that make these fields of study distinct, including coursework differences and career options.
Differences in Coursework
The biggest difference between liberal arts and business degrees is that liberal arts programs are far more broad-based. That is, where a business degree focuses specifically on business topics like marketing, management, and economics, a liberal arts degree program might include studies in topics ranging from performing arts to computer science to psychology.
Because the range of studies is so different, the coursework is also very different between these two programs. For example, as an undergraduate liberal arts student at the University of Iowa, you must complete what’s called a set of core courses. These courses include topics like the following:
- Rhetoric
- Natural Sciences
- Global Perspectives
- Critical Thinking
- Leadership and Career Development
Likewise, you must complete core courses that explore literature, domestic diversity, statistics, and information literacy. But, these courses only represent part of your studies. This might be considered the “breadth” component of a typical liberal arts program – a wide range of courses on diverse topics.
But, many liberal arts programs either require you to choose a concentration or give you the opportunity to do so if you wish. This can be considered the “depth” component of your coursework. Using our same University of Iowa example, you could choose from concentrations like Global Studies, Organizational Studies, or Expression in Writing and Arts. Other options include the following:
- Family, Community and Social Support
- Health and Human Studies
- Justice and Ethics
So, let’s assume you choose the Justice and Ethics concentration. You would take courses that explore criminal justice, law, and politics, plus topics like psychology, ethics, and punishment. But, let’s assume you take the Global Studies path instead. In this case, your coursework would focus on areas like anthropology, international relations, and citizenship.
Again, as a liberal arts student, you will take classes in far-reaching topics while also having the opportunity to specialize part of your studies in an area that’s of most interest to you. Many liberal arts students use these specialization options to prepare for a future career, too.
As a business student, though, your studies are typically much more focused. Instead of having breadth and depth components like a liberal arts degree, a typical business degree might be considered as being more focused on the depth aspect.
A good example of this is the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Washington State University-Vancouver. This program includes upper-level studies in a much narrower range of fields, including the following:
- Economics
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Management
- Finance
Not only are these areas of study different from those in typical liberal arts programs, but they are also more closely related to one another. As a business major, you might take a class in business law, followed by a course in business communications, followed by a course in business ethics. But as a liberal arts major, you might take a class in photography, followed by a class in philosophy, followed by a class in interpersonal communications.
Now, this is not to say that a liberal arts degree is a hodgepodge of courses. Instead, the courses you take as a liberal arts student are often connected but by very broad themes.
A final difference between these fields of study is that liberal arts degrees tend to focus on soft skills, while business degrees usually focus on hard skills. For example, a liberal arts program might emphasize the development of problem-solving skills, communication skills, and analytical skills. But, a business program might promote skills related to accounting procedures, leadership, or business law.
Differences in Career Opportunities
The differences in coursework between these degrees influence the careers you can pursue after graduation. With a much broader scope of studies, you might argue that a liberal arts degree leads to more diverse job opportunities – and you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) points out that liberal arts majors enter widely varied fields of work, including:
- Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
- Management
- Office and Administrative Support
- Business and Financial Operations
- Sales
Furthermore, the BLS notes that many people with undergraduate degrees in liberal arts continue their education to become lawyers, registered nurses, and educational administrators, to name a few. The key phrase here is “continue their education.” In some cases, a liberal arts undergraduate degree is a great start for a career, but additional education and training might be needed.
A business degree can lead to many different careers in its own right. However, the careers you might explore are less likely to be in such widely diverse fields. For example, whereas two liberal arts graduates might find jobs in education and sales – two very different fields – two business graduates might find jobs in marketing and management – two closely related fields.
In many cases, a business degree is all you need to begin a business-related career. As mentioned above, some liberal arts graduates need additional education or training to achieve their career goals. But with a business degree, you might qualify for many different entry-level or mid-level jobs without any additional education or training.
Ultimately, your career path depends on much more than your degree. Prospective employers will look at your grades, the courses you took, and relevant field experiences. They’ll weigh your professional references, relevant test scores, and the impression you make in an interview, too.
Is a Liberal Arts Degree Good for Business?
Yes! Liberal arts degrees promote the development of skills essential for business, like effective communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. These and other skills complement the hard skills you learn in a business program and make you an even more well-rounded candidate for a job after graduation.
In fact, some colleges and universities encourage business students to take a breadth of liberal arts courses. Some institutions take it a step further and offer double majors in liberal arts and business.
Do Liberal Arts Degrees Make More Money?
No, liberal arts degrees typically do not earn more money than business degrees. The BLS reports that the median yearly salary for a liberal arts graduate is $54,000. Business majors have a much higher initial median salary of $69,000 per year.
However, as Georgetown University reports, liberal arts degrees still offer a good return on investment. Within ten years of graduating, liberal arts majors see a return on their investment that is 40 percent lower than the median for all majors. However, after a 40-year career, the return on investment for a liberal arts degree is 25 percent higher than the median.
The specific salary you might earn with either degree depends very heavily on many different factors, too. Your level of education and training, area of expertise, and the location you work will all impact how much money you earn throughout your career.
Can You Switch from Business to Liberal Arts?
Yes, you can switch from a business major to a liberal arts major. Since liberal arts is the study of many fields, you might even be able to use most – if not all – of your business-related credits to satisfy part of the graduation requirements for a liberal arts degree.
There is a caveat, though. Most colleges and universities require you to declare a liberal arts major before earning a certain number of credits. For example, if the degree program is 120 credits, you might only be eligible for a liberal arts program prior to earning 70-80 credits.
Switching from a liberal arts major to a business major might be more difficult, though, especially if you are far along in the program. Since typical liberal arts programs don’t have a lot of coursework in business, you might have to spend an extra semester or two completing the specific business courses you need to graduate.