• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Methodology

Master's Programs Guide

Helping you find the best master's programs

By Kacey Reynolds Schedler

Master’s Degrees in Liberal Studies, Liberal Arts, and Humanities–What’s the Difference?

Image source

The Liberal Studies master’s degree is one of the most popular online master’s degree programs available today. It’s no wonder–what is not to love about a degree that you can pursue on your own timeline and lets you craft a personalized academic path to take the classes that interest you the most? Study what you want, and come out of it with a master’s degree? Sign me up! There are many good online master’s degrees programs (check out our list of the best online master of liberal studies degree programs) that have similar sounding degrees–liberal studies, liberal arts, and humanities–but what exactly are they, how do they differ, and how do they intertwine? Read on as we demystify what these amazing degrees can do for you!

Liberal Studies

Individuals who go into Liberal Studies (sometimes called Interdisciplinary Studies) degree programs generally choose two or three related subject matters that appeal to them the most and construct a personalized degree from those subjects. The degree’s beauty is its ability to encourage learning across disciplines and to enable students to conceive of connections from different academic departments. Students can have a more-than-average and highly meaningful experience because the degree has been crafted by their own interests and way of thinking.

Liberal Arts

Many Liberal Arts programs are interdisciplinary and serve to broaden rather than specialize a student’s experience. But rather than being individually designed from two or three disciplines, students take courses across a broad array of topics and subjects–curricular offerings usually include classes in history, religion, literature, philosophy, political science, music, art history and the performing arts. The degree can still be individualized with the choices that are made, but in general students do not form a personalized graduation plan as they would with the Liberal Studies degree.

Humanities

Also considered an interdisciplinary degree, a master’s degree in the Humanities is comprised of courses specifically in–you guessed it–the humanities. The humanities are a discipline in which students study how society reflects upon and documents itself. Courses in philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and language are the usual suspects in a humanities program. Students read or write literature, examine and interpret art and theatre, look at languages, dissect religion, and learn from history. These classes are from across disciplines and departments, so students are still experiencing a broader program rather than a specialized degree focus.

Regardless of which way a student decides to go, any of these degrees can be immensely fulfilling and easily achieved through an online program. Follow your path to find the best fit for you!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Related Rankings

50 Best Online Masters in Liberal Studies
29 Best Online Masters In History

Primary Sidebar

Find Your Degree
mastersprogramsguide.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Featured Articles

  • The War on Grad School [Infographic]
  • 50 Most Popular Online Master’s Degrees
  • Top 10 Reasons to Earn Your Master’s Degree
  • 50 Fastest Online Master’s Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master’s Programs
  • Top 50 Best Paying Master’s Degrees
  • 50 Most Popular Master’s Degrees

New Rankings

  • 50 Best Online MS in Mechanical Engineering
  • 50 Best Online MS in Civil Engineering
  • 50 Best Online MSN Programs
  • 50 Best Online MS in International Relations
  • 45 Best Online Master’s in Public Relations
  • 50 Best Online Master of Laws and Master of Legal Studies Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Masters in Social Work
  • 50 Best Online Master’s in Project Management Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master of Accounting Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master of Public Health Online Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master of Criminal Justice Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master of Liberal Studies Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master of Special Education Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online MBA Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master’s in Healthcare Administration
  • 50 Best Online Master of Organizational Leadership Degree Programs
  • 50 Best Online Master Of Professional Studies in Human Resources
  • 50 Best Online Master of Library Science Degree Programs
  • 30 Best Online Master’s in History Degree Programs

Student Resources

  • Mastering Public Speaking [Infographic]

Copyright © 2021 ยท Master's Programs Guide
Sitemap