Welcome from the Dean
HELLO! As the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts I want to urge you to continue to focus on your studies! Whether you are a sophomore or a graduating senior you should be actively engaged in your chosen course of study. The knowledge you acquire at UTA will provide you with a foundation for the rest of your life. The skills that you acquire and improve at UTA will provide you with tools you can use to learn what you need to know to succeed.
GET THE FACTS: What's in Store for Future College Graduates?
Data from the IRS and Census bureaus shows that people with Bachelor’s degrees do significantly better than people without. This is not just because of the "piece of paper." It is because people with a degree have had to improve their ability to learn, analyze and communicate, and they have a body of knowledge to build on. So please, take your studies seriously. Learn as much as you can and while you are doing that learn to learn more effectively and efficiently.
Have a great semester!
Dean Beth Wright
What’s in the College of Liberal Arts? (And why bother?)
“So, uh, you want fries with that?” is not your destiny once you earn a Liberal Arts degree. You should, in fact, be congratulated on choosing to follow your PASSION! You are building a solid future for yourself in almost any life path you choose to follow. So ignore anyone who tells you a Liberal Arts degree is a waste of time and money.
The following are just a few benefits of a Liberal Arts degree:
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to conduct methodical and statistical research
• Tolerance toward and understanding of different points of view
• Analytic problem solving
• Ability to relate well to others
• Critical Thinking
• Organizational Ability
• Well-rounded education
• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Creative Expression
• A Better Understanding of the World
• An Awareness of the Impact of the Fine Arts on Culture
• History and Society
The key is finding something you want to study! We’ve got a lot of major tracks spread across four main areas: Communication, Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Communication:
Students who are interested in how people communicate with each other major in the departments of Communication or Modern Languages. The Department of Communication has programs ranging from Advertising to Communication Technology (internet related communication) to Radio and Television broadcasting. The Department of Modern Languages presents students with the opportunity to study French, German, Russian and Spanish in depth. Students will not only learn the language but also the culture and history of the people who speak these languages.
Fine Arts:
The Fine Arts include Art, Music and Theatre. All of these areas explore the creative energy of people. Our departments are focused on helping students develop their creative abilities. Art students will produce Art. Music students will make music, and Theatre students will either perform on-stage or be a part of the back-stage production team
Humanities:
Students who are interested in what makes us “human” major in English, History or Philosophy. English students read the literary expression of individuals from different times, places and cultures. The English department also has programs in writing and creative writing. History majors study how people lived at different times and places. Historians look at documentary evidence such as diaries, wills, real estate records and letters to recreate what happened in the past, why it happened and what it led to. In addition to studying the logical and evidential methods supporting all areas of inquiry, Philosophers pose and attempt to answer the most fundamental questions about the nature of reality, knowledge, meaning, and value.
Social Sciences:
Students who are interested in a scientific study of human behavior major in Anthropology, Criminology, Linguistics, Political Science or Sociology. Anthropologists generally study non-western or ancient (or both) societies. They look at material artifacts, skeletal material and social customs. Criminologists study patterns of criminal behavior in a search for causes and policy. Sociologists study social interaction in a wide range of areas, just about any kind of study of human behavior fits in Sociology. Political scientists focus on the political behavior of people, this includes international relations as well as domestic political activity. And the Department of Linguistics focuses on languages, but it is more than just the words and sounds. Linguists also look at the physical aspects of speech, from the processes within the brain to the vocal cord and tongue movements used to create sounds.
View all the departments within the College of Liberal Arts!
