<p>When I first began searching for colleges I was under the impression that I would go to school for four years, then upon graduation I would enter the workforce in my chosen profession and continue my schooling simultaneously. However a lot of schools seem to offer a liberal arts education. I am intersted in business, but a lot of the schools I see don't offer an undergrad business school. Was I under the wrong impression? Do most students study in the liberal arts for four years before studying for a specific profession? Is it possible to enter the professional workforce with a liberal arts education in, say "American Studies"?</p>
<p>Try Chapman University, they offer a B.S. in Business Administration.
[Chapman</a> University - ASBE - Undergraduate - BS in Business Administration](<a href=“Page Not Found | Chapman University”>Page Not Found | Chapman University)</p>
<p>You can look at <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html</a> . Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO, and Virginia Tech are particularly detailed.</p>
<p>Of course, different liberal arts subjects’ graduates have different job and career prospects. For example, math graduates tend to do better than biology graduates.</p>
<p>If you are interested in business you could major in economics, statistics or mathematics, among other majors. Most liberal arts colleges would offer majors in these areas.</p>
<p>Also you may want to check out some higher ranked schools nearby. USC and Occidental- both with strong economics departments. Also University of Redlands is on par with Chapman and has some unique qualities as well.</p>
<p>It would help to know what your stats are and whether or not you need financial aid (and how much). Nonetheless, Santa Clara University is one you should check out. It’s a great school with an incredible business school. I also love the size which is about 6,000 students and the campus is supposed to be stunning.</p>
<p>At Rhodes about 55% of our graduates go directly into the workforce, about 35% go directly to graduate school, and the remaining 10% do things like volunteer full time (e.g. PeaceCorps), go into the military, etc.</p>
<p>We don’t have American Studies, but our history majors in the class of 2010 went on to be teachers, a marketing coordinator, an associate at a PR firm, a case manager, a librarian, an account manager, and a staff member at a non-profit.</p>
<p>All that is to say that you can go anywhere you want with a liberal arts degree.</p>
<p>Colleges offer 2 types of degrees under one roof. Some are vocational in nature such as accounting, engineering, nursing, etc. and on the other hand there are the liberal-arts majors. None of the liberal-arts majors lead directly to a career path (except perhaps as a professor in that subject) nor are they intended to. The reason to pick a liberal-arts major is because of a strong interest in the subject. It may also be applicable to some career fields but that is not the main goal; if you want a degree that definitely prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major. And truth be told most people in management positions came up from liberal-arts majors.</p>
<p>History, poli-sci, archeology, you name it. People with these majors can get good jobs too, but it takes more than just the degree. Good grades and involvement in leadership activities is important, but the key that is needed for these majors are internships. They set you apart from the 1000’s of other kids with the same degree, give you experience in the field, and usually lead to offers from the companies where you had internships. </p>
<p>One issue when answering questions like the OP asked is that most HS students (and unfortunately many college students) can name only a dozen or so jobs, meaning they necessarily have no idea of how people enter career fields they don’t even know exist. This means kids talk about the same few jobs as if that’s all there is – lawyer, teacher, accountant, doctor, investment banker, etc. Almost any career field is open to the liberal-arts grad outside of the ones that require specific training and even for these you could go to grad school or take post-college classes if you really wanted.</p>
<p>The OP needs to take the broad approach; say to yourself “I’m going to graduate with a college degree, and this is a base requirement for many employers. But in addition to that, what steps do I need to take to identify a potential career and make myself an attractive hire to prospective employers in that field?” I would suggest the OP read 2 books. The first is “Major in Success” and explains with many stories how college students can discover their interests and prepare for jobs pursuing those interests while in college. The second book (more general, but along the same lines) is the bible of the job-hunter, “What Color is Your Parachute”. This book also helps you discover what your interests are and how to determine where out in the working world you can do it. I also suggest using the resources of your career center when in college.</p>
<p>If you’re looking to ‘enter the workforce’ after graduating, Northeastern might be worth taking a look at since you essentially spend an extra year there just for doing internships (which, from what i’ve read, are key to getting jobs) Sure, you could do internships in the summer, but that’s when everyone else will be out of school as well and hence, they’ll be extremely competitive, and hard, to get.</p>