Liberal Arts Degree = Career Readiness
Fads come and go. The liberal arts last.
The workplace is evolving quickly. It's nearly impossible to predict what careers will exist or be in demand 20 years from now. New professions will emerge, and today's jobs will transform in ways we can't yet imagine. Instead of training for one specific role that might not exist in a decade, students need an education that builds adaptable skills and empowers them to shape their own future in a rapidly changing world.
A liberal arts education helps students develop essential skills that stand the test of time: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, flexibility, creativity, and cultural awareness. These are skills that employers want graduates to have now and will be invaluable in the future.
What is a liberal arts degree?
A liberal arts degree is a broad, interdisciplinary degree that encompasses the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences. The purpose of a liberal arts degree is rooted in teaching expansive thinking rather than a vocational or technical skill.
A major in VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences is a liberal arts degree.
What employers want
Employers prioritize candidates who can think critically, adapt quickly, and communicate clearly across diverse teams and challenges, skills prioritized in a liberal arts education.
According to a report by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), when identifying strong job candidates, at least three-quarters of employers are looking for evidence of the following “very important” skills:
- Oral and written communication
- Critical and creative thinking
- Complex problem-solving
- Teamwork
- The ability to work with diverse others
- Digital literacy and data analysis
They also found that younger employers continue to be champions for not just a college education, but one that is holistic, community-oriented, and anchored in the liberal arts.
According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, “analytical thinking remains the top core skill for employers, with seven out of 10 companies considering it as essential. This is followed by resilience, flexibility and agility, along with leadership and social influence, underscoring the critical role of adaptability and collaboration alongside cognitive skills.”
Employment success
Grads with liberal arts degrees get hired. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences reports that 96.3% of humanities bachelor’s degree holders between the ages of 23 and 32 are fully employed. This employment rate is comparable to that of graduates in the same age range across all fields.
Grads with liberal arts degrees get paid. According to the Virginia Humanities Indicators Project, “The median earnings for humanities majors in Virginia are similar to or higher than the earnings of graduates from the behavioral and social sciences, natural sciences, arts, and education.”
I actually think studying the humanities is going to be more important than ever. A lot of these models are actually very good at STEM. But I think this idea that there are things that make us uniquely human—understanding ourselves, understanding history, understanding what makes us tick—I think that will always be really, really important. And I think the ability to have critical thinking skills and learn how to interact with other people will be more important in the future, rather than less.
Daniela Amodei, cofounder of Anthropic