Liberal Arts & General Studies Major

Liberal Arts & General Studies is a broad, interdisciplinary area of study that draws on the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts. It is a major within Arts & Humanities.

Liberal Arts & General Studies is one of the most widely awarded undergraduate credentials in the United States. Rather than concentrating deeply in a single discipline, it asks students to build a working foundation across multiple areas of knowledge — writing and critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, the natural world, human culture and society, and the arts. The appeal is breadth: graduates develop flexible skills in communication, analysis, and problem-solving that they can carry into many different settings. The honest trade-off is that breadth can also mean less specialized preparation for roles that require a specific technical background.

Students who gravitate toward this major often enjoy moving between subjects, haven’t yet settled on a narrow specialty, or are pursuing a degree alongside work or other commitments where a structured but adaptable program fits best. The curriculum typically looks like a set of distribution requirements rather than a prescribed sequence — students sample courses across fields and, in many programs, complete a concentration or area of emphasis in the upper years. The degree is offered at both the associate and bachelor’s level, and it appears widely at community colleges, regional universities, and online programs.

Typical coursework

Course requirements vary by school, but a Liberal Arts & General Studies program commonly includes topics such as:

• Composition and writing
• Critical thinking and logic
• Social science survey
• Natural science survey
• Humanities elective
• Quantitative reasoning

Most programs also include general-education requirements and, in many fields, a capstone project, internship, or research experience.

Degree levels

Liberal Arts & General Studies is commonly offered at these levels:

• Associate
• Bachelor's

Availability differs by institution, and program names can vary (for example, a Bachelor of Arts versus a Bachelor of Science track).

Common career directions

Graduates with a Liberal Arts & General Studies background pursue a range of paths. Some roles related to this field of study include:

• Administrative assistant
• Program coordinator
• Writer
• Sales associate

Many careers require additional steps beyond the major — such as a graduate degree, a license, or a certification — and many graduates work in fields unrelated to their major. What you study is one factor among many in where your career goes.

General career information is drawn from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Career paths vary widely by person, school, and region; this is not a list of guaranteed jobs or earnings.

Other majors in arts & humanities

See all Arts & Humanities majors →