Hello all, I really didn't know where to post this thread, so I decided to post it here. Recently, I've gone through some changes with my college classes and have changed my degree (hopefully only temporarily) to Liberal Arts. Now, I'm not that familiar with what Liberal Arts really includes, but I was wondering....... Is it possible to teach/become a teacher with a Liberal Arts degree? If anyone could share their thoughts and feelings, or if you know of someone or if you yourself are in Education with a Liberal Arts degree, or know of the opportunities that are out there for anyone with a Liberal Arts degree, please let me know. -Mr. MiddleSchool
Well, I have a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Humanities at USC, Columbia, SC- this is how they did their education degrees in the early 90's (not sure now). It was a 4.5 year degree, and I took educ.courses and became certified, but I also had to have an 18 hour minor, which was why the degree was 4.5 years (mine was fine arts, which allowed me an edge when looking for a job- I was hired by a magnet fine arts school). I would think you should be able to add in the education requirements. My husband has a BA and MA in History, THEN decided he wanted to teach, so he has an MAT in History, which gave him the education courses he was missing.
Not sure how it works at a large university, do they have a separate liberal arts degree?? At the small, private college I attended I went through a "liberal arts" education and received my BA in Mathematics Teaching. Not sure if this answers your question
In California you can. Not sure about Virginia. Many people in my credential cohort had Liberal Arts degrees. That is actually what they WANT you to have for elementary schools. Out here, they want you to take a test for proficiency (the CSET) or have enough credits in a subject area in whatever subject you are teaching for 7th grade and up. That is for the middle level credential.
Well, the thing is I started out as a Middle School Education major. The only thing I have left is student teaching, but for my school, in order to student teach you have to pass your Praxis one (I did) and the 2 concentration Praxises (I passed English, just not math). I took Math on August 5th, which means I probably won't get the results until Sept. 5th, and I have to be enrolled in something, so they switched me over to Liberal Arts. Apparently with this new degree, I only need one math class to graduate in December (oh, yeah..I was happy!) And I'm apparently going to graduate with a Liberal Arts degree concentrating in English and Math. But now I'm thinking....what can I do with this degree? What possible jobs are out there for someone with a Liberal Arts degree? Can I still go into Education? etc. -Mr.MiddleSchool
What people in California have is not a degree in liberal arts, but a degree in liberal studies. It's not clear to me that schools of education in California prefer the liberal studies degree to degrees in English or math or one of the sciences, but they do want candidates who are competent in all seven domains (reading/language/literature, history, science, math, human development, PE, arts), which is what CSET-Multiple Subjects is designed to test. In California, education courses per se are reserved for the credential program: liberal studies courses can touch on educational issues, but for the most part that's not their job.
Well, does anyone happen to know what are some things a person with a liberal arts/liberal studies degree can do besides education/teaching?
With luck, your Liberal Arts degree courses will have taught you to learn both deeply and broadly and to communicate what you learn in a fashion that is both comprehensible and persuasive. With more luck, you've learned to love learning for its own sake. Those are fundamental tools of the intellect. If you're willing to be creative, to keep learning, and to take some risks, there is very little limit to what you can do with such a background.
but no specific jobs or job titles come to your mind right off the bat? I mean, I agree with what you said 100%, it's just that I spent 4yrs in Education, now to be switched over in Liberal Arts, and I really have no clue about what opportunites are out there for someone with this particular degree (with concentrations in Math and English.)
Sounds like you want some specific answers. Best bet for that would be to go to your university's career placement office and ask there. You could also go through the Help Wanted ads in your local paper and look for ads for people who can communicate and work with numbers: you may need to think outside the box a bit, but there should be plenty.
okay, thanks. I will be sure to do just that. If anyone else out there has any ideas about what jobs can be obtained with a Liberal Arts degree, please let me know. -Mr.MiddleSchool
You can work in a bank, work in an insurance comapny , do human resources., get a job in managemt training. See your career placement office at the university. You might try tutoting part time to see if you like teaching. If all else fails work for a temp agency like Kelly Services. Theywill put into different types of jobs. Good luck. Terry G.
You could work in social services; ie, non-profits, public relations, teach in a private school, hospitality, insurance field, pharmaceuticals....
I just wanted to take a few seconds to thank each and every person that took the time to reply to my thread and post their ideas to me. I really do appreciate it. Thanks. -Mr.MiddleSchool
Mr. Middle School: Have you thought of teaching math? There is a huge demand for math teachers at the middle School level and if you get an elementary credential you could get a job easily. You also might want to investigate the possbility of getting a math credential. Terry G.
