Liberal Arts and Sciences
This is the name of a degree style commonly taught in the USA (and American Schools in Europe) where students study a wide range of subjects initially and then declare a major subject part way through.
In the UK there are several universities offering a ‘Liberal Arts’ or ‘Arts & Sciences’ degree. Each university has chosen a different structure but all the courses enable students to combine a number of different subjects and study a wider breadth whilst still having a ‘major’ field of study.
Many Dutch Universities have University Colleges attached to their institution where a ‘Liberal Arts & Science’ curriculum is taught with a similar philosophy to the USA. Each college offers a different range of subjects and often has an area they specialize in.
Almost all Canadian Universities offer a Bachelor or Arts and/or a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, which gives you similar freedom in class choice and some Colleges teach a Liberal Arts Curriculum.
Typically ‘Liberal Arts’ colleges and courses have smaller class sizes and more contact time with academics. In the UK and Europe this has made them competitive and prestigious programmes to gain a place on.
Good to Know
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Campus | Institution Name | Country | Campus Style | Institution Size | Selectivity | Education Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American University | USA | Our 91-acre campus is located in northwest of Washington DC | Medium Institution 5000-15,000 | Selective (25-50% admitted) | Single Subject Focus (Joint degrees available), Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model), Integrated or Thematic degrees, Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution | |
University of Birmingham | UK, UAE | Our campus is just outside of the city centre of Birmingham, 7 minutes from our train station. | Very Large Institution >30,000 | Selective (25-50% admitted) | We are a Russell Group university which hosts outstanding teaching and learning on campus. | |
Bryn Mawr College | USA | Suburban Campus | Small Institution <5000 | Selective (25-50% admitted) | Liberal Arts and Sciences | |
Duke Kunshan University (DKU) | China with a semester in the United States | DKU is a new campus in Kunshan, a large city located near Shanghai and Suzhou. | Small Institution <5000 | Highly Selective (10-25% admitted) | Unique, new mutli-disciplinary model that results in both a Duke (US) degree and DKU (China) degree. | |
ESCP Business School | UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain | City Campus | Medium Institution 5000-15,000 | Selective (25-50% admitted) but grades are as important to us as your extra-curriculars and international experience! | Business Management School | |
University of Essex | UK | Suburban Campus | Large Institution 15,000-30,000 | Somewhat Selective (50-75% admitted) | Single Subject Focus (Joint degrees available), Researched Focused Institution, Teaching Focused Institution | |
Franklin & Marshall College | USA | City Island Campus | Small Institution <5000 | Selective (25-50% admitted) ~30% acceptance rate | We follow a liberal arts format with majors, minors, joint degrees, and certificate program options. | |
University of Lancaster | UK, Germany, Ghana | UK Rural Campus 15 minutes bus ride from the City centre of Lancaster.
Ghana and Germany - City Campus | Medium Institution 5000-15,000 | Selective (25-50% admitted) | We are one of the few universities to offer a major/minor system for the majority of our courses. This means that students will apply for a major subject through UCAS, then upon arrival choose an additional minor subject. Students will then study both of these subjects for their first year. |
