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Value of a Liberal Arts and Sciences Degree

I went into college wanting to know how to think. I wanted something more than reciting facts off a slide. A liberal arts and sciences major allows you to see and easily move between different perspectives while evaluating arguments on a deeper level. As a pre-med student, my philosophy major helps me understand the importance of sound logic and how to critically evaluate philosophical arguments.

Claudia Debruyn, Philosophy Major

Finding Your Fit in a Liberal Arts Major - True or False? Heading link

Exploring and finding your fit in a major is a process.  Test your knowledge of fact or fiction in the following exercise warm-up. Read the statements below and click on the accordion to see whether or not it is true or false!

What Can I Do With My Liberal Arts and Sciences Major? Heading link

students talking on a bench
LAS Students, George Illenikhena, Biological Sciences Major and Cruz Dominguez, Sociology Major

Exploring majors and career paths can be equally exciting and feel somewhat overwhelming.  It’s normal to wonder how major options can connect to career interests and how the pieces fit together.  Many career paths do not specify one college major and are open to the application of many different majors.  It is important to lead with your interests and get to know yourself (interests, skills, and values) so this can guide your decision making process when choosing a major.

In addition to your degree, it is important to consider what skills you want to build further and apply your interests through various experiences such as internships, research, student employment, service, clubs, and more! A helpful process to keep in mind is to remember that your degree + skills (core competencies) + experiences = leads to more career opportunities.

Knowing yourself gives you the vocabulary and tools to help you apply your major further, reinforce skills, and tell your story and value your major brings to a future career!

UIC Alumni - Can You Guess My Undergraduate Major? Heading link

See if you can guess the major of the highlighted UIC Liberal Arts alumni below!  

After the reveal, consider how each alumni transitioned from their undergraduate major to their current professional position:

◊ What experiences do you think they gained through internships, research, study abroad, or student employment?

◊ What type of campus involvement and student organizations did they participate in?

◊ How did they identify unique skills and interests they wanted to develop further?

◊ How did they connect their interests in their major to career exploration?

◊ How did they share their story and make connections between their LAS major and the competencies they gained?