Associate degree in liberal arts: Cornerstone curriculum gives you career control

You have no idea what you want to do with your life, but you know you want options. You can't commit yourself to a long, expensive degree program, but you know you want to be a professional. Earn an online associate degree in liberal arts and you can have it all. A broad based education with specialty potential and the manageability of a two-year degree.

Degree in liberal arts: a truly versatile curriculum

A degree in liberal arts offers so many benefits that it deserves your serious consideration, especially if you are unsure about the direction you want your professional career to take. An online associate degree in liberal arts features a series of building-block courses that are common to multiple professional specialties. That way, you'll be completing courses that will apply to virtually any degree program in the arts, sciences and humanities.

O*NET OnLine, a U.S. Department of Labor partner site, lists the following positions that have a bright hiring outlook and can be secured when you earn an associate degree in liberal arts:

• Museum technicians and conservators
• Elementary, middle and secondary school teachers, except special education
• Self-enrichment education teachers
• Chief executives
• Managers
• Agents and business managers of artists, performers and athletes
• Coaches and scouts
• Physicians and surgeons
• Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors
• Graphic designers

Liberal arts careers: springboard to specialty

Because the liberal arts degree program leads to so many lucrative and appealing professions, it's very tough to nail down a specific salary range for graduates with this degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offers the following career scenarios to give you some perspective about what is possible when you earn.

1. Graphic design. Median annual wages for salaried graphic designers were $43,180 in May 2009. The middle 50 percent earned between $33,130 and $58,140, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,440, and the top 10 percent earned more than $76,450.

2. Law enforcement. Median annual wages for salaried police and sheriff's patrol officers specialists were $53,210 in May 2009. The middle 50 percent earned between $40,450 and $67,990, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,400, and the top 10 percent earned more than $83,550.

3. Public relations. Median annual wages for salaried public relations specialists were $51,960 in May 2009. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,740 and $72,180, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,520, and the top 10 percent earned more than $96,630.

Online associate degree in liberal arts: why and how

Some might say that the online associate degree in liberal arts is the highest evolution of academic productivity. Not only can you earn credits towards your degree in your own time and space, but you can remain true to the collection of personal and professional activities that require your attention. The curriculum is comprised of cornerstone courses inherent to any degree--technology, mathematics, natural sciences and language arts. As you get closer graduation, the courses become more focused--think programming languages for graphic designers, criminal justice for aspiring police officers and communications for budding public relations specialists.

If financing your education is a concern, you'll rest easy knowing that there is a wide range of financial aid opportunities that you can take full advantage of. Scholarships, grant-in-aid, subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and work credit opportunities exists to help you pay for school. Keep in mind that private liberal arts colleges can be much pricier than their public counterparts.

The bottom line? A degree in liberal arts proves you can go forth boldly in a new direction even if you're not sure where you want that direction to take you. In fact, an associate degree in liberal arts deserves your serious consideration if you're planning on doing just about anything in the fields of the arts, sciences and humanities.

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