Spoke with yet another student who had completed ninety-odd credits at a local institution in “office technology.” In fact, this student had even received an associate’s degree in the subject; she had credits in all sorts of things. Problem was, now that she’s decided to get a bachelor’s degree, none of those credits mean anything, so she’s basically starting over. She was upset, and rightfully so; but if you’re going to earn a degree from somewhere, you need to fulfill the requirements to get that degree. And if you’re going to earn a BA or a BS or a BE or whatever, you’re going to need to complete some sort of liberal-arts based curriculum.
There are two issues at play here. One is the issue of “liberal arts.” What is it? Why do I need it? Why do I, the physics major, have to take art history? And why do I, the dance major, have to take biology? The answer is both simple and a corny all at the same time… to make you more well-rounded and a better person. You want to see physics in action? Look at the way they build sets for theatrical productions. (In fact, our set designer here at Stony Brook was an engineering major.) You want to learn about how the body moves? Better learn about how the body works while you’re at it. Want to be able to hold your own in discussions at the cast party with your financial backers? Might want to have a clue what the stock market is and how it works.
That’s what having a liberal arts education is about. It’s about being able to be a functioning, productive member of society, understanding people and their differences and how to relate to other people who may be different from you. I will likely never use quantum physics in my career as a counselor; but it was one of the most fascinating classes I took as an undergrad. I took a couple of philosophy classes, because it’s important to be able to think. I took a music theory class, because I wanted to understand a little more how music works. (Did you know it’s mostly math? Go figure.)
The other issue is the issue of accreditation, and whether the courses you’re taking or planning to take will mean anything to anyone outside of your current school. We have a couple of local schools that offer degrees, but are very clear in their mission; they are profit-making institutions. Their interest is in getting you in, getting your money, and moving you out so they can make room for the new batch. I’m sure you’ll get a lot of wonderful job skills there, and if that’s what you want, then you’re not likely to find a better place to be. But if your goal is to teach high school biology, then taking sixty credits in office technology aren’t going to get you any closer to certification than if you spent those two years on the competitive eating tour.
Perhaps those schools aren’t clear when students enroll; I would hope, from an ethical standpoint, that they don’t lie to students and tell them that those credits will get them towards many bachelor’s degrees. (Admittedly, there are some schools where those credits are fine — if you want a bachelor’s degree in office technology, or if you don’t mind paying tens of thousands of dollars a year.) I hope they make it very clear that they’ll get their skill set, and they’ll get a nice entry-level job, but if they want to move up and get into management, that’s not necessarily the best way to do it. I would hope they say that, but it’s likely that they don’t. So we have to be the bad guys, crushing these folks when they find out they have to basically start over because the two-credit “business writing” course they took there is nowhere close to a real, intensive “college writing” course.
If you’re in that situation, please beware of schools that say they’ll take those credits as elective credits. You may think you’re in a great spot, coming in with 75 credits, but you’re still going to need 45-55 credits of liberal arts, plus anywhere from 40-80 credits in your major. (And that says nothing for engineering or teacher certification programs, which have veeeeery specific requirements.)
I always say to students that they don’t have to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives. But you should always have some long-range idea of what your goals are, so you avoid missteps. If you’re not sure, ask.