As part of
the ongoing debate about affordability, many politicians and policymakers—not
to mention parents—are concerned that colleges and universities produce too
many students with “soft” learning rather than job-specific “hard” skills. A
new study of liberal-arts colleges reveals those grads do just fine in the job
market after all, according to a report in Inside Higher Ed.
The study,
which was previewed at a recent meeting of presidents of the Council of
Independent Colleges, was based on interviews with 500 graduates of
liberal-arts programs and 500 graduates from other types of institutions. The
grads had been out of school for 10-40 years.
Although a
lot of the liberal-arts grads earned less than other majors in their first few
working years, it turned out they quickly made up the difference once their
careers got going.
“Those who
take more than half of their coursework in subjects unrelated to their majors
(a characteristic of liberal-arts colleges but not professionally oriented
colleges) are 31% to 72% more likely than others to have higher-level positions
and to be earning more than $100,000,” the report said.
Perhaps
more importantly, the study also found that liberal-arts graduates who engaged
in discussions of academic and nonacademic issues during class time and who
continued discussions with faculty and fellow students after class were more
likely to feel “personally fulfilled” in their lives now and to become leaders,
lifelong learners, and community volunteers.
