This is not to say that liberal arts education should be deemed as more superior than STEM and vice versa. In fact, these two should be hands in hands. Perhaps, the new era of technology advancement and science focus seems to somehow drive STEM related subject away from liberal arts subjects. In the article Liberal Arts vs. STEM: The Right Degrees, The Wrong Debate, Alison Byerly, the president of Lafayette College describes this as a “fasle dichotomy” (Klebnikov). Byerly thought that despite the heavy stress on science and engineering, “you still need liberal arts thinkers applied in other fields” (Klebnikov). We should not consider that any of these two would be harmful to the other. In some schools, there have been a merging of the two curriculum as they are “two important forms of education that complement each other” (Klebnikov). …show more content…
Cadena, and Benjamin J. Keys titled Investment over the Business Cycle: Insights from College Major Choice, published by the Institute for the Study of Labor known as IZA, it was found that more unstable economy signs will result in major changes in both men and women to STEM majors and away from humanitarian majors (Blom, Cadena and Keys). According to the data they found, it can be estimated that for each increment in 1 percent in unemployment rate will stimulate 3.2 percent in men and 4.1 percent in women reallocating their major choices (Blom, Cadena and Keys). And with each 1 percent increment in unemployment rate, the finding also shows there is 0.6 percent increase in number of men majoring in engineering, 0.1 percent increase in computer science and natural science major (Blom, Cadena and Keys). Under the same condition, women tend to be more shifted towards business related major outside of finance by 0.6 percent; nursing, accounting, technical health fields and computer-related fields also see gains as well (Blom, Cadena and
All though “The New Liberal Arts”, Sanford J. Ungar uses seven misconceptions about liberal arts on why learning the liberal arts. And explain why is still relevant and will be for coming years. The first misperception that he advocates is that a liberal arts degree is no longer affordable. Vocational training is better alternative to liberal arts in today. In this recession it is a financially wise decision to obtain a career oriented education instead. Students may not able to find jobs in the field that they are training after graduate. Ungar argues that especially collage students find it harder to get good jobs with liberal arts degrees, which is not the case. Which is the second misperception is that graduates with liberal arts degrees
Liberal educations benefit students in the long run, long after students have paid their loans. People are able to be informed on national topic, while also being able to be self dependent. Two qualities that are essential in the modern society. I believe it is important to have such a basic understanding of education and knowledge, just like what Nussbaum agreed too in her essay. However, I also believe the curriculum should be centered around making students a better person. Institutions should try to produce good people with the right intentions instead of just focusing on testing intelligence, similar to what Cronon focused on in his essay. If we can incorporate both of these important features into our liberal education system, then and only then, will we be thriving as a society. Graduates will have a good understanding of knowledge from an array of different fields, as well as having important traits that will carry on for the rest of their
But the best argument against a liberal education is perhaps the simplest. When students go to any college, they choose a major and take classes that are related to that major. However to get to those classes they have to take courses in , reading, writing, and history. I don’t think that Zakaria realises this. By the time these students graduate, they will be able to understand all of the technical aspects of their field, as well as being able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly. All of this without a traditional Liberal
With the advent of the internet, technical schools, and computers in general, jobs today are more specialized than ever before, and they will continue to increase in particularity, thus a purely liberal arts curriculum is very untimely. Most people take four years to attain a bachelor’s degree of some kind and if they want a salary increase it requires at least two more years of graduate school before they can even think about entering the workplace. If people study only humanities for six of their most pivotal years of life, depending on their field of work, they may have a very small base of technical knowledge to utilize.
In the article “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar presents the argument of why liberal arts schools are still competitive and useful today. The beginning of the article immediately addresses the problem that Ungar is defending, “Hard economic times inevitably bring scrutiny of all accepted ideals and institutions, and this time around liberal-arts education has been especially hit hard.” The author provides credibility through his time of being a liberal arts presidents, applies statistics about the enrollment and job security outside of liberal college, he addresses the cost factor and how a student may find compensation, and that a liberal arts college is not preparing students for success. The article “The New Liberal Arts,” addresses
Now, let us define liberal arts or liberal education. According to Michael Lind, liberal arts should be understood in its original sense as “elite skills” (54). We all know that liberal arts include cour...
Today’s college students have the opportunity and freedom to choose their major and their career path. Many factors influence the decision of a college student’s career paths including background, general interests, personal strengths, time commitment, and job outlook. Although many important decisions are made in college, one of the most important is the choice of major and career track. Out of hundreds of majors the science and engineering fields are under-represented by women. Although the numbers of women in science technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, majors has been increasing in the past years, women still are in the minority in the STEM fields. In her study, Lona Whitmarsh concluded, “that career opportunities for women have widened,” but “not enough change has occurred to show significant differences between the overall population” (49). It is good that more women are entering these fields, but there are still not enough young women aspiring to fill the gaps. Further statistics show that female representation in engineering continues to be low, “in 2008 only 19 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 22.9 percent of masters, and 14.8 percent of PhDs in engineering were awarded to women” (Bystydzienski 2). Although there has been a general increase of women entering the fields of science and mathematics, overall the numbers are still low, showing that women struggle in pursuing a degree within these fields, and that many factors can lead to a female not choosing to begin or complete college in a STEM major. Women are in the minority of STEM fields.
This article discusses the increase in students completing high school and going on to college some of whom obtain a degree while others do not. He also discusses the correlation between the amount of college education and unemployment. He concludes with statistics showing that a college education does pay off if the person has the academic capability to obtain a degree. This article will help me to show the benefits of college for certain people. It will allow me to show that a four year degree is not the best option for everyone.
Although a college education grows more and more expensive every year. People begin to question whether college is a good idea to invest in or not. “As college costs continue to rise, students and their families are looking more carefully at what they are getting for their money. Increasingly, they are finding that the college experience falls short of their expectations”(Cooper. H Mary). Many people believe that the cost of a college degree has outstripped the value of a degree.Studies show that a college degree will increase your earning power. A lot of people say that a college degree now is worth what a high school diploma was wor...
Liberal arts colleges are viewed as being a bad investment since STEM majors make more money and ultimately are less likely to not be underemployed in the work force.
In “Should Everyone Go to College?” there are multiple figures depicting the return of investment on different Bachelor’s degrees. Among the lowest ROIs include the majors of liberal arts, literature, and the arts (215). These are majors which on average, don’t pan out well for those who invest in them. As we often forget, college is an investment in a future career, and so there are certain majors which just aren’t good ones to make. Other majors, such as engineering, computers, math, science, and business, are fantastic investments based on the work-life earnings on different careers pertaining to these majors. These are the ones which are the best ones to invest money in if someone’s looking for a college route, and if they are having trouble finding a way to pay for it, they should consider looking to methods such as doing some time in the military, applying for scholarships, or going to a community college, in order to help them achieve their
In summary, I personally believe that a Liberal Arts and Sciences education is a way of thinking, not a type of institution. Liberal Arts and Sciences students will have a broader view on subjects because of their multidisciplinary education and their extensive knowledge. This has many advantages over the regular undergraduate students. For example, these students will become more valuable community members, will lead to more innovations and will be more effective and disciplined in conducting research because they are trained in academic skills. One might think that a Liberal Arts and Sciences education is too broad to be a good foundation, but they usually are not knowledgeable. All in all, a Liberal Arts and Sciences education is a better undergraduate programme than a regular undergraduate programme.
A college education can broaden one’s career horizons and help them achieve stable employment. Through education one can expand their intellectual capacity along with financial scope. “ The median person with a bachelor 's degree earns about $48,000 per year, compared with $27,000 for a high school graduate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau” (Haltom 14). A college education should allow one to thrive both internally and externally, whilst progressing society along with them into the ever-changing world. These statistics represent the aspired
First of all, parents cannot make a decision for their children’s major in higher institution because of the generation gap between them. In our modern era, it can easily be observed that our younger generation is more advance in term of science and technology compared to the older generation. On account of these new science and technology discoveries, a lot of new majors in higher institution have been added which also correspond to the number of new job opportuni...
Kahn, Lisa B. 2010. “The Long-Term Labor Market Consequences of Graduating from College in a Bad Economy.”