Tseng College building.

That humanities and liberal arts play an important role in today’s university landscape is something members of SAGE (an acronym for study, activity, growth and enrichment) agreed upon during a forum led by Tseng College dean Joyce Feucht-Haviar. SAGE, a learning-in-retirement organization affiliated with the Tseng College, sponsored the event.

“In today’s economy, the jobs available for people without critical thinking skills are disappearing,” dean Feucht-Haviar said. “The economy is looking for people with those skills.” Liberal arts and humanities serve as a vital connection to career-oriented curricula, because practical, career-focused training received at colleges and universities requires the perspective and creative thinking ability that the humanities provide.

A liberal education focuses less on a specific skill set and more on an overall intellectual capacity, critical thinking ability and seeing problems from a variety of perspectives. Dean Feucht-Haviar noted the importance of liberal arts and humanities to complement career and professional education.

“When I talk to midsize or larger business and industry representatives, they describe what they are looking for in graduates that matches the outcomes of a liberal education, said Feucht-Haviar. She said that if these employers hire graduate with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, they “want someone who can think, communicate, problem-solve and innovate… the outcomes of a liberal education.”

The Tseng College has responded to this need with a master’s degree in humanities, offered in collaboration with CSUN’s College of Humanities. The program offers students an opportunity to reach beyond a focus on a specific career and broaden their thinking to deal with challenges in any profession.

For more: Master of Arts in Humanities [Tseng College]

College of Humanities, Tseng College