Liberal Arts Degrees, English Classes, and Job Skills
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Most students who enroll at two or four-year colleges or universities do so with a specific major and outcome in mind. For example, a student might declare a math major and pursue a bachelor’s degree in math with the long-term goal of pursuing a master's degree in engineering and ultimately becoming a civil engineer. Whether they realize it or not though, most students are enrolled at liberal arts institutions, which means that they will take a much more diverse list of classes than ones just directly related to their major. Liberal Arts degrees, as opposed to some technical programs or professional certifications, require that students take a broad selection of classes from a variety of disciplines with the goal of educating the whole person, which is philosophically different than simply viewing education as the acquisition of knowledge or a narrow skill set.
And that’s how many, many students find themselves sitting in an English Composition class in their first semester of college even though English isn’t their major. Most colleges require a base level of classes at the beginning of a degree, which are usually a college skills class, one or two English Composition classes and one or two Math classes. Reading, writing and mathematics are so fundamental to so many aspects of academics and life that nearly every college will require some combination of English and Math, regardless of major.
These classes are usually prerequisites for and followed by broader GEC requirements (general education curriculum). All students will select class options in literature, history, anthropology, foreign languages and many other academic disciplines to broaden their base of knowledge and can select classes that are interesting to them and that complement their major. Most colleges require a small number of elective classes as well, which are frequently not related to a student’s major but allow our math major from above to take a theater survey class as an enrichment course.
Once students have fulfilled their GECs, the rest of their time in college is spent taking classes that are specific to their major, which likely make up most of their total credits earned. These two halves of an undergraduate education - GECs and major classes - ideally balance each other: a student leaves college with enough specialized knowledge and skills to get a job and succeed in the job market of their major but they are also broadly educated enough to be adaptable to new and unexpected challenges and job opportunities.
Even in you are not an English major, English classes can be important part of your education. Most students will take Composition classes to hone their composing, researching and editing skills and make them self-aware and self-sufficient readers and writers. Students who choose to take additional Literature classes continue to hone the skills from Composition, but also learn important authors and works, literary theories and terminology, literary and artistic movements and historical time periods. Students might also take creative writing courses to hone their own literary skills, create their own works and pursue publication.
In general, English classes have cross-disciplinary value in college and in the job market too. Most classes in other departments require some level of paper writing and they assume students learned enough about reading and writing in their English classes to be successful. Many concepts from Literature classes also address similar topics in history, psychology and other areas. In you’re the professional world, nearly all careers involve some level of literacy: resumes and cover letters writing, emails and digital communication, report writing, note-taking, presentations, reading, research, new skill acquisition, social skills, group work, peer discussions and more. English fundamentals underpin many professional skills and areas of expertise.
Plus, reading and writing are avenues for asking personally and philosophically complicated questions about the human experience and the wider world that are existentially valuable outside of degrees and job skills.
Look at your own degree plan and:
- Notice the differences between first-year requirements, general education classes and major classes.
- Look for places where you have class options and can take ones that are more interesting to you and/or support to your major.
- Look at electives as opportunities to take something different and enriching.
- Think about the classes you have taken and how each adds to your education, your professional skill set and your personal life.
- Think about what role reading, writing, technology and social skills are going to play in your personal or professional life and what English can do to support that.