Study Liberal Arts in Texas

Everything is big in Texas, including the state’s higher education system. The state has nearly 150 institutions of higher learning, including 37 four-year universities. If studying at a large university isn’t your style, the Longhorn State has 50 community college districts, many of which have multiple campuses.

In other words, Texas has all the options you could hope to find as you pursue a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. You can study at a big or small school, in an urban or rural area, and get a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science.

This guide helps you take a step in the right direction by listing some of the popular liberal arts bachelor’s programs Texas has to offer.

Best Accredited Liberal Arts Bachelor's Programs and colleges in Texas online

Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Programs in Texas

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

  • University of Houston
  • Texas A&M University-Commerce
  • Texas Wesleyan University
  • Texas A&M University-Central Texas
  • St. Mary’s University
  • Texas Wesleyan University
  • Trinity University
  • Southern New Hampshire University

The University of Houston

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Liberal Studies

The Liberal Studies undergraduate program at the University of Houston is lovingly referred to as the “three minor major.” The three minor areas you study are up to you, so you can truly tailor your degree program to your specific areas of interest. The result is a personalized educational experience that isn’t available at every college or university in Texas.

The major requirement of this degree program is that two of the three minor areas of study must fall within the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science. The third minor area can come from any other academic college within the University of Houston. For example, you might select any of the following combinations of minors:

  • Psychology, Sociology, and Biology
  • African American Studies, Anthropology, and Ecology
  • American Sign Language, Modern and Classical Languages, and Business Administration

With dozens of minors available, you can blend studies in many other areas, too. The University of Houston offers a B.A. and a B.S. track, too, to give you further customization options for your degree.

No matter which three minors you choose, you must take two required courses in Liberal Studies: Knowledge and Methods and Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving.

Knowledge and Methods is a freshman-level course that explores the challenges of combining three minors into a single major. You will learn how to navigate the academic rigors of this unique program to emerge as a confident graduate with a broad-based degree.

The Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving course is a capstone research class that you will take during your senior year. The purpose of this class is to help you integrate the various methods and techniques learned in the three minors to address a specific, practical, and substantive social problem.

Another program requirement you must fulfill is a practicum experience. The University of Houston gives you wide latitude regarding how you fulfill this requirement:

  • Complete a course entitled Power Writing
  • Participate in a for-credit University-approved Study Abroad program
  • Complete a for-credit University-approved public service project or professional or academic internship
  • Complete an honors thesis or similarly rigorous for-credit capstone research project

In all, you must complete 46-54 credits for the major as well as general education requirements to satisfy the completion of the degree. This typically means completing at least 120 credit hours, which takes about four years of full-time study.

Apply to the University of Houston online. As a first-year student, you must satisfy the following admission requirements:

  • Be in the top 25 percent of your high school graduating class; have a 3.7 GPA or higher; have an 1170 or higher on the SAT or a 24 or higher on the ACT
  • Be in the top 50 percent of your high school graduating class; have a 3.8 GPA or higher; have a 1220 or higher on the SAT or a 25 or higher on the ACT
  • If you are in the bottom half of your graduating class, your application will be individually reviewed

You must also have four years of high school English, two or more years of science, two years of algebra, one year of geometry, and one year of pre-calculus.

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Liberal Studies

The Liberal Studies program at Texas A&M-Commerce is available as a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science to allow you to customize your degree to your intended career path. In either case, you will need four years of study to complete the 120 credits required to graduate.

A further way you can customize your degree is by taking classes in person, online, or a combination thereof. Doing so can help you devise a schedule that’s flexible to the needs of your work and family life. Likewise, the flexibility you get from this kind of program delivery might help you take more classes in a shorter time frame, thus allowing you to graduate early.

The Texas A&M-Commerce liberal studies curriculum features courses from many different disciplines to give you the well-rounded educational experience you expect with a liberal studies degree. For example, you’ll choose a concentration area from one of the following fields and complete 24 or more credits:

  • Global and Multicultural Issues
  • Ways of Seeing and Knowing
  • Child and Family Studies
  • Popular Culture Studies

Alternatively, you can choose a concentration in one of the traditional disciplines in the College of Humanities, Social Science, and Arts (e.g., history, psychology, or visual arts, to name a few).

Then, you will choose a Complementary Field and take 15 or more semester hours in that field. You can choose your complementary studies from any of the following:

  • The College of Education and Human Services
  • The College of Science and Engineering
  • The College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts
  • The College of Business

The remaining credits for this degree come from core curriculum requirements and elective coursework. Over the course of your studies, you will explore how to think critically, solve problems, and communicate effectively. This program also helps you build intellectual skills, explore the relationship between various areas of study, and prepare for future studies or a career by advancing your understanding of the world in which you live.

You can apply to Texas A&M-Commerce online. To qualify for automatic admission, you must complete the Foundation High School Program with one or more endorsement, preferably in Algebra II or its equivalent, in addition to one lab science course. These criteria must be met at a distinguished level of achievement.

Full admission to the University is offered to students who complete the Foundation Plan in high school, including four credits of English, three credits of math, science, and social studies, and two credits in a world language. Applicants seeking full admission must also rank in the top 30 percent of their graduating class.

Texas Wesleyan University

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Liberal Studies

Texas Wesleyan University offers several pathways for completing a liberal studies-related degree program: A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies or a Bachelor of Arts and Applied Sciences in Interdisciplinary Studies.

While these degrees have some differences, in each case, you must complete an array of classes in four distinct clusters:

  • Humanities
  • Social Science
  • Business
  • Math & Science

You can choose one or two clusters as your concentration area, which requires at least nine credits of studies in each concentration.

By taking multiple courses in each of these fields, you develop a wide-ranging skill set that’s preparatory for pursuing careers in diverse areas. For example, you might focus your studies on English in the humanities cluster and education in the social science cluster as preparation for becoming a teacher.

Alternatively, you might concentrate on business administration in the business cluster and computer science in the math and science cluster to prepare for a career in information technology. Or, you may decide that studying criminal justice and psychology from the social science cluster is the best way to prepare yourself for advanced studies in forensic psychology in the future.

Regardless of the concentration areas you choose, you must complete at least 120 credits of coursework to graduate. Of those, 45 must come from Texas Wesleyan (24 of which must be upper-level), meaning up to 75 credits can be transferred from another institution.

Better still, by taking courses during the summer session, you can complete the degree requirements faster, potentially graduating in three or three-and-a-half years instead of the more traditional four-year timeline.

Applying to this program as a first-year student is simple – you can apply online at any time. To do so, you must have a 2.75 high school GPA or higher. You must also submit high school transcripts with your application.

Texas Wesleyan is unique in that when your application materials have been reviewed, you will receive a scholarship offer with a specific amount of aid. Not only does this make a degree from Texas Wesleyan more affordable, but it also helps streamline the processes of applying to the school and getting financial aid.

Texas A&M University-Central Texas

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Liberal Studies

The Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies from Texas A&M-Central Texas is a typical 120-credit program that focuses on helping you develop your critical thinking and analytical skills. You can complete the degree either on campus or online.

You will focus your studies on three minor areas of inquiry that comprise your major areas of study. Texas A&M-Central Texas offers a wide variety of minors to choose from, including finance, sociology, and fine arts. Other options include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Psychology
  • Aviation Science
  • Criminal Justice
  • Human Resource Management
  • Computer Information Systems

Each of the three minors you choose requires the completion of 18 or more credits in that discipline. At least 12 of those 18 credits must be in upper-division coursework. So, for example, you might take 18 credits in accounting, 18 credits in computer information systems, and 18 credits in psychology as preparation for a career as a forensic accountant.

As another example, you might take 18 credits in aviation science, 18 credits in military science, and another 18 credits in homeland security to prepare for a career in law enforcement.

While there are many iterations of coursework and concentrations that can comprise this program, all students must meet specific learning targets to graduate. These include the following:

  • Demonstrating excellent writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills
  • Demonstrating high-level knowledge of three academic areas
  • Demonstrating an understanding of the interrelatedness of the areas of study
  • Demonstrating an ability to research and understand critical problems and issues
  • Demonstrating an ability to synthesize information into a cohesive and meaningful interdisciplinary perspective

You can get the process of applying started by filling out an online application. Texas A&M-Central Texas is an upper-level school only, meaning you must have at least 30 college-level credits already completed to gain full admission. Moreover, you must have a 2.0 GPA or higher for all college-level coursework. You must also be eligible to return to all previously attended schools.

Texas A&M-Central Texas also offers post-baccalaureate and graduate programs, should you choose to continue your education after completing your liberal arts degree.

What are the Liberal Arts Career Opportunities in Texas

Just like Texas, the possibilities for your career with a liberal arts degree are big. The interdisciplinary nature of this degree might qualify you for entry-level jobs in fields as wide-ranging as customer service to aviation to human services.

For example, let’s say you get your liberal arts degree with a concentration in sociology. You might use your experience in studying social behavior to find a job in social media marketing or perhaps even start your own social media marketing company in a large Texas market like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, or Austin.

Another possibility is to concentrate your studies in education and child development to start a career in early childhood education. As a worker in this field, you can rely on the practical, everyday skills you learn in your degree program to enhance the development of young children – effective oral communication, understanding of human development, and conflict resolution among them.

If your liberal arts degree focuses on business, you can use your background to enter a field like real estate. Coursework in business administration, marketing, and human ecology could all come in handy as you seek to establish yourself as a buyer’s or seller’s agent in one of Texas’ fast-growing communities.

Many other options are available, too, from being a journalist for a Texas newspaper or online magazine to being a correctional officer in one of the state’s prisons. You might find a job in advertising, human services, or even higher education as an admissions counselor. Ultimately, the door to employment is wide open for a graduate of a liberal arts degree program!

Are Liberal Arts Schools Worth it?

Liberal arts schools offer a broad-based education focusing on humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts, aiming to develop critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. Whether a liberal arts education is “worth it” depends on various factors, your individual goals, career aspirations, learning preferences, and financial considerations.

  • Holistic Education: Liberal arts schools typically emphasize a well-rounded education, fostering a broad understanding across multiple disciplines. This can be highly beneficial if you are seeking a comprehensive educational experience rather than a narrow, specialized focus.
  • Skill Development: The liberal arts curriculum is designed to develop essential skills like critical thinking, effective communication, and adaptability. These skills are highly valued in many career paths and can offer flexibility in a rapidly changing job market.
  • Career Opportunities: While liberal arts degrees may not lead directly to a specific career path like some professional degrees, you can pursue a wide range of careers in areas like education, business, law, public service, and the arts. The diverse skill set gained can be a significant asset.
  • Cost vs. Return on Investment: Liberal arts schools, especially private institutions, can be expensive. You should consider the financial investment and compare it with potential earnings and career opportunities post-graduation. Financial aid, scholarships, and the school’s reputation may also influence your decision.
  • Personal Growth and Network: Liberal arts schools often provide a close-knit community and opportunities for personal growth, leadership, and networking, which can be valuable throughout your career.

In short, liberal arts schools are worth it if you are seeking a broad-based education that develops versatile skills and values personal growth.

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