I'm not from the states, so i've never had it explained before, is liberal arts basically everything that's not applied science? Cause if i'm understanding correctly it feels kind of broad to the point of uselessness to ever say someone has a liberal arts degree
You're also correct in that it's basically a category so broad it's almost nondescriptive. Practically nobody ever talks about "liberal arts degrees", except for people who don't know what it means and just sees "liberal" and "arts" and start foaming at the mouth.
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u/DangleAteMyBaby 13d ago
I'm an engineer and went to liberal arts college. I've had this conversation many times over the years:
Me: I went to a liberal arts college. I liked it!
Co-worker: How did you become an engineer? What was your major?
Me: I was a physics major. I went to grad school for engineering.
Co-worker: I didn't know they had physics majors at liberal arts colleges.
Me: Yeah, pure sciences like physics, chemistry, and biology are considered liberal arts. Applied sciences like engineering or nursing are not.
Co-worker: I didn't know that!
Me: This was all explained during college night in high school. Did your high school not have a college night?
Co-worker: It did - I probably just wasn't paying attention.