Liberal Arts Degree

Liberal arts degrees are the product of an evolved collegiate system that started its revolution in the mid-19th century, and which have become a popular choice for college students today desiring a well-rounded education. The original structure of early colleges focused on the ancient and classical languages and mathematics as the core education for students of a higher education. The liberal arts degree of today has made its way past the rigid structure of that sole importance on languages, mathematics and religion, which fulfilled the triune needs of the antiquated system.

The need to expand the breadth of knowledge offered within colleges became evident when the Morrill Act of 1862 was passed. This federal land grant set aside plots of land in each state for the purpose of building colleges teaching the sciences of agriculture and mechanics along with the classical arts. The old-school system did not see this advent of that liberal arts degree education as a serious threat to their traditional security nor did they expect it to last. However these "A&M" institutions were granted additional federal funds to keep them afloat until their enrollment numbers began to rise.

By the 1890's, the university became another option to the traditional college. The programs to attain liberal arts degrees were more broadly defined to include other courses of study that strayed more so from the classical and primarily religious philosophical intents of the college, and the technical nature of the "A&M's." The liberal arts degree proposed by universities was intended to develop students into more well-rounded men with character able to provide social service response to their communities. With their new education, the evolving students of the late 19th century were able to discover an education that proved of interest to them instead of the strictly religious studies of the colleges.

The timespan of 1880 thru 1917, called the "Age of the University," saw the commencement of such universities as Princeton and Bucknell, both of which promoted their acceptance of these programs as their goal. As policies began to tighten, and higher education became subject to being approved by a governing body, colleges embraced the hope to eliminate the degree by the structured approval system. However, they experienced a backlash when those same policies began to ask the college institution system to reduce its program to a two-year system. For them, this meant the universities were handed the means to control graduate level studies in their format of liberal arts degrees.

Today's program offers a broad base of education that can include religion and mathematics, but also has expanded to include medicine, music and art, literature studies, communications, management, accounting, human relations and sociology, business, recreation, teaching, and many other options of study. The modern liberal arts degree promotes an open mind to new ideas and innovations and stresses the attainment of job skills that are immediately usable. They are seen as pathways to opportunity of service to others instead of hallowed halls of tradition to one's own benefit. "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (Proverbs 9:9).




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