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Liberal arts is a shortened form of the term
"liberal arts and sciences," and the liberal arts
philosophy is a unique feature of the U.S. higher education
system. U.S. undergraduate education is based on this concept,
which believes in providing a well-rounded academic education
that develops the student's verbal, written, and reasoning
skills. Students at a liberal arts college, or at a university
with a strong liberal arts program, begin their degree study
by taking classes in a wide variety of courses in the arts,
humanities, languages, and the social and physical sciences.
They then choose a subject in which to specialize (called
a major) and take about 25 to 50 percent of their classes
in the major area. Even those who do not follow a liberal
arts program and instead plan to major in a specialized subject
like engineering are usually required to take about 25 percent
of their classes in humanities and social sciences to complement
their studies. Similarly, a student who wants to complete
a major in history is required to take some classes in mathematics
and, possibly, the sciences
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