Liberal Arts Colleges

Liberal arts colleges traditionally have offered undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences and emphasized a broad, holistic education. This entry discusses the main goals of a liberal arts college education followed by an overview of the defining features that characterize this unique institution type. Despite the declining number of true liberal arts colleges in the United States, the liberal arts education model is imitated in larger institutional settings and is emulated globally. Liberal arts colleges are not without internal and external challenges. However, liberal arts colleges maintain a prominent place in the higher education landscape given their institutional mission and the educational outcomes realized by the students who enroll there.