Students value job-focused study over liberal arts – Study

Incoming college students in the United States can correctly identify the tenets of the liberal arts, but many think they can find that type of education anywhere, which bodes poorly for this set of institutions and their market position, according to new research from consultancy Art and Science Group, writes Jeremy Bauer-Wolf for Higher Ed Dive.

The consultant interviewed more than 750 US high school seniors this year and found nearly 60% believe you can find a liberal arts education at any type of institution. That’s about the share of students who said the same when Art and Science Group conducted similar research in 2017.

The organisation’s data also suggests students want an education that directly prepares them for a job much more highly than they value the concept of a liberal arts experience. So “it remains the case, in terms of broad market appeal, that no advantage, and some potential disadvantage, accrues to an institution laying claim to the ‘liberal arts’”, Art and Science Group wrote in its report.
Full report on the Higher Ed Dive site