skip to main content
College of Liberal Arts
University of Mississippi

Careers

Current Undergraduates  ⟩  Careers

chart of survey of employers of most desired skills in employees

What are the career options for liberal arts students?

A liberal arts education is rooted in the four discipline groupings of fine & performing arts, humanities, natural sciences & mathematics, and social sciences.

We understand that a “liberal arts education is an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.” American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

Alumni Careers: 17% Business/Finance; 14% Health care; 13% Higher ed; 9% Government/Military/First Responders; 10% Law; 9% STEM; 8% K-12 Education; 7% Arts/Culture/Media; 7% Community Service/Non-profit; 4% Hospitality/Personal Care; 3% Trades/Agriculture/Transport

That combination of the skills is the mark of a well-educated citizen who is able to fully participate in our society, economy, and democracy. Likewise, liberal arts graduates are ready for the widest array of career options. Our graduates are successful in establishing such a wide range of careers and becoming leaders of their organizations because of the core set of skills at the heart of our liberal arts education. In national surveys of employers, we see the skills and attributes most desired, with our liberal arts majors delivering this powerful training.

The Alumni Careers graphic shows the percentage of our ~30,000 living undergraduate alumni who are working in different sectors of the economy.  We can see that the highest percentage of our alumni are working in business/finance, healthcare, higher education, law, STEM companies (IT, energy, engineering, science, manufacturing), and government & military.

Again, the skills of all liberal arts majors prepare them for numerous different paths.  Art history majors become lawyers, biology majors become editors of science magazines, English majors become doctors, anthropologists become business marketers, and so forth.