Liberal Arts and Communications
If you are headed to college and unsure of the major you want to select, there are two popular general options worth considering: liberal arts and communications. Though these degrees share some similarities, such as the length of time it takes to complete the programs and their wide applicability to many different careers, they also have many differences that make them unique.
In this guide, we will take a deep dive into liberal arts and communications degrees. We will compare them side-by-side so you have a better idea of which degree might be best for your needs.
Liberal Arts Degree Vs. Communications Degree
A liberal arts degree offers a broad education across humanities, sciences, and arts, developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A communications degree focuses specifically on media, public relations, and marketing, developing skills in effective messaging and media strategy.
A liberal arts undergraduate degree has an extremely broad focus, often covering two or more primary areas of study. In other words, there is no single major. Many programs require you to select multiple minors, concentrations, or specializations. In some cases, you can mix and match these.
Many colleges and universities even offer a “build your own” liberal arts option. This involves a long process of working with an academic advisor to create a curriculum that meets your specific academic and career needs. So, for example, you might develop a liberal arts degree in which you study economics, sociology, and climate change, and explore how these fields are interrelated.
As another example, you could devise a liberal arts curriculum that focuses on education, psychology, and biology. This combination of studies could prepare you for graduate work in which you focus on biological psychology and educational psychology. As a result of this variability, no two liberal arts bachelor’s degree programs are alike.
Rather than encompassing a wide range of academic disciplines, a communications degree focuses on – communications! At some colleges and universities, this degree is highly specific. For example, you might major in technical writing, journalism, or broadcasting. You might also be able to choose from majors like interpersonal communication, interpretation and translation, or digital media communications.
At other institutions, your options might be broader. For example, you might major in communications with a minor or specialization in journalism. You might also have a broad major in communications but specialize in technical writing. So, communications is a degree that is simultaneously more focused than a liberal arts degree yet still offers wide variability regarding the specific type or application of communications you study.
Differences in Coursework
Liberal arts and communications are similar in that they are four-year degrees that usually require 120 credits to graduate. Both degrees also require you to complete general education requirements and electives, as well as your major-area courses.
But beyond that, these degrees are wildly different in their coursework. The courses you complete for a liberal arts degree will be from a broader set of academic disciplines, while a communications degree includes major studies from one primary area.
We can see how this plays out by comparing two popular degree options: A liberal arts degree in business and a communications degree in journalism.
A business-focused liberal arts degree might include coursework such as:
- Microeconomics
- Macroeconomics
- Business Communications
- Marketing
- Business Administration
Beyond that, you might take courses in management, finance, human relations, and other business-related courses.
However, if you are a communications-journalism major, your core coursework will look much different. You might take classes like the following:
- Interpersonal Communication
- Multicultural Communication
- Technical Writing
- Broadcast News Writing
- Multimedia Production
You might also take courses in sports journalism, print journalism, and entertainment journalism, to name a few.
But even more similar areas of study in the liberal arts and communications are still different. For example, if you enroll in a liberal arts program and one of your focus areas is on communications, you might take a handful of broad communications classes, like Introduction to Communications, Mass Communications, and Visual Communications. Though some of the communications courses you would take in this scenario would be upper-level classes with more specific focuses, your overall education in this field would still be quite broad, given the format of a liberal arts degree.
By contrast, majoring specifically in communications enables you to undertake a more thorough investigation of this field. You will take broad-based introductory courses like those described above in a communications-focused liberal arts degree. But you will also have many more opportunities to take higher-level courses and more specific courses in communications.
In fact, a communications major usually requires 45 or more semester credits in communications. Compare that with perhaps 15-18 credits (or fewer) in a liberal arts degree with communications as one of your areas of emphasis.
So, as a communications major, you might study culture and the media, communications and gender, and the history of advertising. You would also likely have practicum or internship opportunities during which you can get hands-on experience in the type of communications of most interest to you.
This isn’t to say that experiential learning doesn’t exist in liberal arts programs. Quite the contrary – it’s very common for liberal arts students to take part in some form of hands-on learning in one or more of their degree concentrations.
Differences in Learning Outcomes
The differences in learning outcomes between liberal studies and communications are reflective of the differences in their coursework. Just as the coursework for a liberal arts degree is quite broad, so are the learning outcomes; the learning outcomes for communications degrees are much more focused.
As a liberal arts student, you can expect to graduate with a set of skills that includes the following:
- Demonstrate mastery of your major areas of study in multiple contexts
- Effectively analyze problems from multiple perspectives
- Utilize effective written and oral communication skills in professional settings
- Conduct effective academic research
- Demonstrate personal responsibility, including a commitment to ethical behavior in social and professional settings
These are just five potential examples of the types of learning outcomes to be expected in a liberal arts program. But they’re illustrative of the broad nature of this type of degree. The purpose is to prepare you to be a successful member of society and the workplace with widely applicable soft and hard skills.
On the other hand, the learning outcomes for a typical communications bachelor’s degree might look something like the following:
- Utilize communications techniques, theories, and concepts to provide information to others through written, verbal, or other forms of communication
- Employ communications techniques to critically analyze verbal and nonverbal messages sent by others
- Deliver relevant and effective messages to others that are appropriate for the time, place, and audience
- Direct public discourse by communicating about important issues, elevating those issues, analyzing them, and empowering others to address important issues
- Take part in communications research to make contributions to scholarly knowledge in this field
Again, these are just a handful of potential learning outcomes for a bachelor’s degree program in communications. However, you can see how the narrower focus of a communications degree plays out – you gain much more specific skills with outcomes that directly relate to communications.
Differences in Career Opportunities
The theme of broad versus focused continued in the career opportunities for graduates of these programs. With a liberal arts degree, your career opportunities are virtually endless. Liberal arts graduates work in education, human services, and the hospitality industry. Others have jobs in law enforcement, marketing, and even communications!
With a communications degree, though, you are more likely to major in a specific field. As noted earlier, there are communications programs in journalism, technical writing, and broadcasting, to name but three. So, your job prospects will be different depending on the type of communications degree you get – as a broadcasting major, you are most likely to work for a radio or TV station. As a journalism major, you might work in radio, TV, or print media. With a technical writing degree, you might work for a trade magazine or a business where you write product descriptions.
The differences in career opportunities go a step further, though. By and large, a liberal arts bachelor’s degree qualifies you for entry-level positions in whatever field(s) you concentrate on in the program. It’s not impossible to get a mid-to-high-level position with a liberal arts degree, but it’s not likely right after graduation.
With a more specific communications degree, though, you might get your foot in the door in a mid-level position. For example, with a communications degree in translation and interpreting, you might start working for an international business or organization like the United Nations or work for a government agency like the State Department.
Your ability to get a higher-level position as a communications graduate depends on many factors, though, not the least of which is your area of emphasis. Translation is a fairly uncommon track, and graduates who can speak multiple languages are highly sought-after.
Concentrating on sports broadcasting, though, requires you to start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder – you won’t find opportunities for national sports broadcasts right out of college!
What Does a Liberal Arts Degree Qualify You For?
As discussed earlier, a liberal arts degree might qualify you for any number of jobs in all sorts of different career fields. But, what you should expect is to work in entry-level positions initially after graduation, and work your way to more senior positions with greater responsibilities and higher pay.
As a liberal arts graduate, you may find opportunities in the field of education. With further certification, you could pursue a career in teaching. Alternatively, roles in educational administration or student affairs may be within reach, although these often require additional education or experience.
The field of communications and media offers many opportunities for liberal arts graduates. You might consider a career in journalism, writing for newspapers, magazines, or digital platforms. Public relations roles, where you would manage the public image of organizations, or marketing and advertising positions, where you would develop strategies to promote products or services, are also viable paths.
In the business and finance sector, your liberal arts degree can serve as a foundation for roles in human resources, where you would oversee recruitment, training, and employee relations, or in management consulting, where you would analyze business practices and recommend improvements. With a focus on finance, you could also explore opportunities in financial analysis, advising on market trends and investment strategies.
Government and public policy is another area where your degree can be particularly valuable. You might work within government agencies in public administration, support lawmakers as a legislative assistant, or contribute to the nonprofit sector, managing or supporting organizations that serve public interests.
The technology and design sector also welcomes liberal arts graduates, especially in roles such as user experience (UX) design or technical writing, where additional skills in design and technology are beneficial.
If you are drawn to social services and advocacy, your degree can pave the way for careers in counseling, community outreach, or other roles dedicated to improving community welfare. These positions often require further education in psychology, counseling, or related fields.
Lastly, the field of research and analysis, including market research and academic research, is well-suited to the skill set of a liberal arts graduate. These roles require a keen analytical mind and the ability to synthesize and communicate complex information effectively.
Is Communications an Arts Major?
Yes, communications is usually offered as an arts major, such as an associate of arts, bachelor of arts, master of arts, and so forth. However, many colleges and universities also offer science-based communications degrees, too. The primary difference between the two is that an arts major often requires you to take world languages, while a science major usually involves studying communications in a research setting.
Which One is Better? Liberal Arts Degree Or Communications Degree?
The better degree simply depends on your specific situation. If you need the freedom to study virtually anything you want, then a liberal arts degree is the way to go. But, if communications is a specific interest of yours, choosing to major in this field is a smart choice.
No matter which discipline you choose, you will graduate from your program with a set of skills that are valuable to you as a student and in the future as a member of the workforce. Likewise, you will have enough leeway in either program to align your studies with your interests and talents, so you emerge better equipped to meet your occupational goals.