| Liberal arts colleges are a historical institution unique to the United States. Contemporary liberal arts colleges typically are small, private, residential, enroll students of traditional college age, and offer undergraduate courses in liberal arts subjects. Their goals have swung between the general and the professional, depending on the public influence at the time. Those who do not adapt to what the American public demands face potential financial disaster and closure.; This study looked at 82 ranked liberal arts colleges. The sample included the top 42 nationally ranked and the top 40 regionally ranked liberal arts colleges (top 10 in each of four regions). The investigation involved comparing the colleges' mission statements with their life science curricula. Virtually all mission statements of liberal arts colleges emphasize the college's goal of a liberal arts education with all it implies: thinking skills, citizenship, with a modicum of knowledge. Many liberal arts colleges have added components stressing preparation for a career or vocation. This study pointed out curricula of regional liberal arts colleges most often back up that claim while very few of the top nationally ranked institutions offer professional degrees, regardless of their mission statements.; In comparing the two groups of colleges, the types of majors were similar and degree requirements for professional and liberal arts were similar. National colleges were similar in their demands for their degrees as were regional colleges. Comparison of regional colleges showed no significant difference in percentage of biology coursework necessary to complete the life science degree, nor was there a significant difference in types of courses—traditional, professional, “other”—offered by regional colleges. The major difference encountered in this study was the disproportionate number of professional degrees between the two sets of colleges. Statistically significant differences were found in the types of courses offered in national and regional colleges and in the percentage of coursework in biology to complete the degree for the life science major. What was not discovered was the reason for this disparity; could it strictly be a marketing strategy to better compete for the student pool?... |
