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Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary
What you'll do in college
Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary majors allow students to design a highly customized academic path rather than committing to a single specialized discipline. Coursework is extremely flexible, allowing you to sample broadly from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and business. Programs often require you to synthesize methods and theories across multiple fields, culminating in a senior capstone project or multiple minor concentrations that reflect your unique academic interests.
What you'll do after college
Because the degree is so broad, graduates rely heavily on their strong "soft skills"—such as critical thinking, adaptability, complex problem-solving, and effective communication—to land jobs. Common career paths include business administration, sales, human resources, project management, and nonprofit advocacy. The major is also frequently used as a versatile stepping stone to graduate programs, such as law school, education, or business administration.
Famous graduates
- Shaquille O'Neal — Hall of Fame NBA player, entrepreneur, and sports analyst; B.A. in General Studies from Louisiana State University
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson — Actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former professional wrestler; Bachelor of General Studies (concentrations in Criminology and Physiology) from the University of Miami
- Will Shortz — The New York Times crossword puzzle editor; B.A. in Enigmatology (a self-designed interdisciplinary major in the study of puzzles) from Indiana University
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings
By SAT median
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary | 991 | 44,944 | 37% / 63% | 3% | $56,382 | 93% |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 631 | 21,321 | 38% / 62% | 3% | $56,224 | 93% |
| General Studies | 276 | 9,821 | 41% / 59% | 2% | $53,366 | 92% |
| Liberal Studies | 143 | 4,843 | 25% / 75% | 1% | $54,716 | 92% |
| Liberal Arts | 103 | 1,900 | 36% / 64% | 8% | $55,142 | 92% |
| University Studies | 11 | 1,841 | 41% / 59% | 1% | $60,331 | 91% |
| Multidisciplinary Studies | 10 | 1,672 | 36% / 64% | 1% | $57,193 | 92% |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | 24 | 462 | 32% / 68% | 0% | $54,952 | 90% |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities | 7 | 454 | 37% / 63% | 2% | $59,716 | 94% |
| Applied Interdisciplinary Studies | 1 | 373 | 42% / 58% | 3% | $47,159 | 86% |
| General Education | 37 | 329 | 36% / 64% | 3% | $53,679 | 90% |
| Philosophy, Politics and Economics | 1 | 183 | 49% / 51% | 8% | $118,547 | 93% |
| Plan II | 1 | 164 | 48% / 52% | 2% | $87,959 | 86% |
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | 16 | 140 | 59% / 41% | 2% | $58,903 | 93% |
| Integrative Studies | 3 | 139 | 37% / 63% | 0% | $55,317 | 95% |
| Interdisciplinary Sciences | 2 | 134 | 29% / 71% | 1% | $70,051 | 94% |
| Individualized Major | 5 | 117 | 32% / 68% | 3% | $54,234 | 97% |
| Special Divisional Major | 1 | 117 | 32% / 68% | 7% | $120,173 | 100% |
| Applied Arts and Science | 1 | 109 | 48% / 52% | 3% | $64,828 | 93% |
| Quantitative Sciences | 1 | 109 | 42% / 58% | 41% | $92,363 | 100% |
| General Liberal Arts | 1 | 84 | 43% / 57% | 1% | $70,857 | |
| Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods | 7 | 76 | 30% / 70% | 4% | $69,837 | 84% |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies | 5 | 75 | 52% / 48% | 0% | $71,039 | 94% |
| Individual Studies | 1 | 49 | 47% / 53% | 0% | $61,284 | 97% |
| Individualized Studies | 3 | 43 | 23% / 77% | 5% | $64,622 | 96% |
| Integrative General Studies | 1 | 32 | 22% / 78% | 3% | $44,261 | 96% |
| Individualized Studies in the Liberal Arts | 1 | 31 | 52% / 48% | 6% | $96,934 | 100% |
| Interdisciplinary University Studies | 1 | 31 | 58% / 42% | 3% | $61,863 | 89% |
| Integral Program | 1 | 28 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $61,861 | |
| College of Social Studies | 1 | 22 | 50% / 50% | 5% | $73,571 | |
| Politics, Philosophy, and Economics | 1 | 22 | 41% / 59% | 0% | $63,602 | 94% |
| Individually Designed | 1 | 20 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $52,153 | |
| Integrated Studies | 4 | 19 | 42% / 58% | 0% | $50,713 | 92% |
| Science in Society | 1 | 19 | 47% / 53% | 5% | $71,159 | |
| World Arts and Cultures | 1 | 19 | 21% / 79% | 16% | $49,484 | 89% |
| Letters, Arts, and Sciences | 4 | 15 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $54,074 | 94% |
| Integrated Science | 2 | 15 | 60% / 40% | 13% | $73,002 | |
| Comparative Studies | 2 | 13 | 0% / 100% | 15% | $68,076 | 88% |
| Global Honors | 1 | 13 | 23% / 77% | 0% | $49,965 | 75% |
| Independent Major | 4 | 12 | 0% / 100% | 8% | $62,428 | |
| Independent Concentration | 1 | 10 | 70% / 30% | 0% | $87,227 | |
| Interdisciplinary Humanities | 1 | 10 | 20% / 80% | 10% | $46,546 | 91% |
| Humanities and Engineering/Science (Course 21E/21S) | 1 | 8 | 38% / 62% | 0% | $170,115 | 90% |
| Individualized Study | 1 | 7 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $70,456 | |
| Individually Designed Major | 1 | 7 | 14% / 86% | 0% | $52,757 | |
| Applied Arts and Sciences | 1 | 6 | 83% / 17% | 17% | $61,977 | 94% |
| Applied Studies | 1 | 6 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $47,046 | 97% |
| Integrated Science, Business and Technology | 1 | 6 | 33% / 67% | 17% | $81,720 | 88% |
| Global Interdisciplinary Studies | 1 | 5 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $75,541 | |
| Sciences | 1 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $56,140 | |
| Special Concentration | 1 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $83,305 | 91% |
| Independent Program of Study | 1 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $89,971 | |
| Letters, Arts and Sciences | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $56,023 | 94% |
| Interdisciplinary Science | 1 | 0 | $52,551 |