Few degrees cause as much heated debate as that of a master in liberal studies. The online master in liberal studies degree has notoriously been referred to as useless, not relevant, and one that won’t lead to any sort of employment. Well here’s the thing, that online MALS degree may just be the best thing you do for your future and here’s why.
Looking into the Future
There is a lot of focus on what sectors will be experiencing the largest amount of growth in the next few years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be about five million jobs added to the fields of social services and health care alone. For this reason, these two fields are drawing a lot of interest and students.
The thing about those forecasts is that they are looking less than 10 years in the future. They are looking about five years off. While this is still important to be aware of, chances are you’ll be working way past the next five years. So then what? What will the trends be 10, 20, even 30 years from now? It’s impossible to predict. What that also means is that it’s impossible to then write off a liberal studies degree as something that is no longer relevant and needed. In fact, some of today’s most in-demand and highest paid jobs are expected to be obsolete down the road thanks to automation.
A liberal arts degree helps students in terms of learning how to use critical-thinking skills, something that can prove to be quite valuable down the road.
Liberal Arts Degrees in Demand
As you start to look around at various U.S.-based companies, it’s clear to see that these liberal arts graduates are not only welcomed into the workforce but are also in demand. What’s even more promising is the fact these graduates are in demand through a wide variety of industries. This can lead to careers such as a business development manager, a client service specialist, project manager, intelligence analyst, and a signals intelligence analyst.
As far as what skills employers are looking for, they want candidates that can excel in operations, research, communications, and management. These are all skills students will perfect in the program.
Where the Money Is
Of course, it would be great to get a job in a career that not only uses all the skills you’ve been taught but also proves to be lucrative. If it’s high wages you’re after, this degree can pave the path. Statistics show that the highest wages can be found in the area of sales, business and finance, management, and real estate.
The Time is Approaching
It seems as though these liberal arts majors aren’t being discarded and pushed aside while being called obsolete. Rather, they are on something of a time-out right now. It is expected that this time-out will be over sooner rather than later and suddenly these graduates will have all kinds of doors being opened for them.