The Price for a Liberal Arts Degree

When I was at university (albeit a while ago), a liberal arts education was a good idea. It allowed the student time to understand who he/she was and what they wanted to do with their life personally and professionally.

Now, the cost of “figuring it out” can be around $40,000+ and many students and parents are re-evaluating the need for a liberal arts education.

The Washington Post provides an outlook on both sides of the divide concerning liberal arts degrees at what are known as Good Book institutes and profession specific colleges and universities. In Daniel de Vises’ An Education Debate for the Books, he provides a student view example for St. John’s College.

Liberal Arts in a Stringent Economy

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Wednesday was move-in day for freshmen at St. John's College in Annapolis, one of many liberal arts schools that have taken a hit in applications and enrollment because of the downturn. Freshman Graham Gallagher discusses why he chose to attend the estimable Great Books School.

For freshman Graham Gallagher, arriving at the historic Annapolis campus Wednesday, admission to St. John's is destiny fulfilled. Here, he said, learning "is a journey, instead of a competition."

Liberal arts colleges have had to defend the marketability of a philosophy major for as long as competing public and private institutions have offered degrees in engineering and business, often at a lower cost. But never, perhaps, have families weighed the value of a liberal education more carefully than in the 2009-10 admissions cycle, which found the nation mired in its worst recession since the 1930s.

"People all think that in a bad economy, they need skills for a job," said Christopher Nelson, president of St. John's. "What they don't realize is that a liberal arts education will give them skills for life, and that will get them a job."

Perhaps Mr. Nelson is correct, but with a price tag for college/university education running $40-50,000 on the low end, parent’s pocket books may be the factor most families take into consideration.

Personally I hope the liberal arts education stays firmly planted for quite some time. With our changing times; more and more people working in several careers throughout their professional life, entering and re-entering work forces and economic changes, having a better understanding of the arts and who we are as individuals, will ultimately make use better citizens and workers.