What Can You Do With a Liberal Studies Degree? Top Career Paths

Leveraging knowledge from diverse fields paves the way for innovation, making an interdisciplinary liberal studies education ideal for those seeking to explore the human condition. 

After all, drawing from the disciplines that society relies on—such as the humanities, social sciences, arts and culture, and organizational dynamics—creates a stronger workforce and communities that can withstand the unpredictable. Whether you’re interested in pursuing (or advancing) a career in technology, education, or public service, immersing yourself in a degree that champions interdisciplinary thinking will challenge you to rethink your perspectives and create new solutions for some of society’s most pressing problems. 

In This Article, We’ll Cover…

• What is a liberal studies degree?
• What can you do with a liberal studies degree?
• How tech professionals benefit from liberal studies
• How education leaders benefit from liberal studies
• What liberal studies does for public servants
• The flexible liberal studies options at SMU Simmons

What is a Liberal Studies Degree? 

• Liberal studies degrees are programs that combine multiple academic disciplines and perspectives to explore the human condition. 
• A liberal studies degree program enables professionals to customize their curriculum based on topics they’re interested in, such as organizational culture, transformational narrative, technology, identity, and humanity. 
• Liberal studies graduates develop soft skills that employers look for, making them desirable candidates in various industries. 

What Can You Do With a Liberal Studies Degree?

With an interdisciplinary studies education, you won’t be confined to just one discipline or career path. Whether you’d like to advance in your current field or pivot careers, a human-centered program prepares you to be a stronger leader. Let’s explore a few of the many fields you can excel in with a liberal studies degree. 

Tech Professionals and Liberal Studies

The soft skills learned through liberal studies foster an interdisciplinary mindset that helps tech professionals thrive. As challenges emerge in technical fields, professionals who invest in liberal studies can examine solutions from ethical, historical, and cultural perspectives, bringing humanity to an increasingly automated industry. 

Here are some top tech careers that incorporate the skills learned in a liberal studies program: 

Software Developer: Software developers create innovative systems that solve enduring problems and approach process improvement with varied perspectives.  A liberal studies degree can help them hone their problem-solving skills, enabling them to create better software that anticipates and addresses needs before they derail businesses and systems. 

Project Manager: Every project needs a focused leader, but an overbearing or micromanaging leader can fuel employee fatigue, not inspire innovation. Through an interdisciplinary studies education, project managers can develop their soft skills and help people from diverse backgrounds with different working styles connect and accomplish shared goals.

User Experience (UX) Designer: Technology is supposed to improve lives and reduce time spent on projects, but poor user experiences can create roadblocks to progress. UX designers leverage the creative problem-solving that liberal studies focuses on to implement various ways of testing user outcomes and avoid problem points in their experience through innovative and interdisciplinary thinking. 

Education Professionals and Liberal Studies

Students deserve leaders who see more than one perspective and teach them how to evaluate different opinions and draw their own conclusions. 

Education professionals who pursue a liberal studies degree bolster their leadership by learning how to integrate multiple subjects into their teaching. Through everyday lessons, they nurture their students’ interest in various fields and teach them to be curious knowledge seekers invested in making the world a better place.  

Let’s explore some education careers that benefit from an interdisciplinary, human-centered lens: 

Teacher: While they are responsible for imparting the basics of each subject, teachers are called to go above and beyond to inspire their students to think deeply. An interdisciplinary studies education prepares a teacher to go beyond the lesson in front of students and see how each core subject influences other disciplines. 

Administration: As leaders for entire schools or school districts, administrators need to view problems as opportunities for growth and confidently forge that path forward. Liberal studies can help these professionals identify their own strengths and recognize strengths in others, teaching them to build stronger teams and empower their employees to improve the systems they work in. 

Instructional Coordinator: As they build curricula and oversee program improvement, instructional coordinators can benefit from the creative problem-solving skills that a degree in liberal studies provides. Their insights into the interdisciplinary nature of core subjects enable them to create lessons that foster curiosity and creativity in both teachers and students.

Public Service Professional and Liberal Studies 

Public servants invest so much in their communities. One of the best ways for them to train in serving those around them is by investing in the skills that will keep them sharp in their roles.

A human-centered liberal studies degree enables these professionals to develop their organizational leadership skills, refining their holistic approach to problems and shaping them into more well-rounded leaders and helpers. 

Liberal studies does more than teach public servants how to lead. Here are some roles that involve interdisciplinary skills: 

City Planner: As they anticipate and meet a community’s needs through their city planning, professionals in this role need a broad perspective, organized ideas, and the ability to think critically about the best path forward for their community. A liberal studies degree can provide these skills and connect city planners with like-minded peers who can help strengthen the community.

Social Worker: Social workers need to think creatively about how to help their clients, from finding the best tools within the system to connecting clients with services that can help them thrive. Their work can benefit from a holistic and creative approach that a liberal studies degree teaches. 

Emergency Management: As the people others look to in a crisis, emergency managers need confidence, organization, and creativity in how they approach emergencies. A liberal studies degree can help professionals in this field hone their skills and be more prepared to help their community. 

Choose a Flexible Liberal Studies Degree: SMU Simmons

You’re busy changing the world; investing in your personal and professional growth through a liberal studies degree shouldn’t get in the way of your impact. 

At SMU Simmons, we offer several flexible options for you to pursue a liberal studies degree. Whether you want to get your master’s degree in liberal studies or dive deeper with a doctorate degree, our liberal studies programs allow you to tailor your program to your schedule, helping you to deepen your expertise in your current field or explore new paths. 

Not ready for a full degree in the field? We have a certificate option, so you can still upskill in liberal studies and reap the benefits in your professional life. 

To learn more about our programs and the value of a human-centered interdisciplinary studies degree, download our eBook, Exploring the Human Condition: A Guide to Pursuing Your Master or Doctor of Liberal Studies Degree.