You may be surprised by the number of unfamiliar terms associated with college and college life. Undergraduate, TA, accreditation, Greek life, the FAFSA—high school counselors and college admissions officers use these terms every day. Unfortunately, they don’t always stop to explain what each term means.
The “College Speak” series explains the college-oriented vocab that you need to be in the know and focus on the more important questions, such as “which school would be the best fit for me?”
Today’s terms are:
- liberal arts;
- fine arts;
- humanities;
- behavioral and social sciences;
- natural sciences;
- physical sciences;
- mathematical and formal sciences; and
- engineering and applied sciences.
Liberal Arts: Meaning “areas of learning (‘arts’) suitable for a free man (‘liberal’),” this term refers to a wide variety of disciplines in the arts, humanities, and sciences. While the liberal arts give their name to a certain type of undergraduate school—the liberal arts college—in one form or another, they are studied at most post-secondary institutions. Notable exceptions are professional and vocational schools, which tend to focus more on specialized skills.
Fine arts: This term covers the visual arts as well as many performing arts. Fine arts disciplines include painting, sculpture, architecture, film, theater, dance, and conceptual art. Along with music, many fine arts are viewed as part of "the humanities" (see below). Fine arts are studied at many post-secondary schools, including specialized schools of art.
Humanities: A collection of disciplines that study some aspect of humanity or “the human condition.” The humanities include languages and literature, history, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts. The humanities are studied at a wide variety of post-secondary schools. Many schools require classes in the humanities classes as part of a core curriculum.
Behavioral and Social Sciences: A collection of disciplines that study humans and society in a systematic way. The line between the behavioral and social sciences can be fuzzy, but the behavioral sciences might be classified as somewhat more “scientific” than the social sciences. The behavioral sciences include psychology, cognitive science, and anthropology. The social sciences include economics, education, and political science.
Natural Sciences: A collection of disciplines including astronomy, atmospheric science, biology, materials science, and oceanography. The natural sciences also include the physical sciences (see below), but they exclude the formal sciences (also see below).
Physical Sciences: The disciplines of chemistry, earth science, and physics.
Mathematical and Formal Sciences: Disciplines that do not describe the physical world. Examples include mathematics, statistics, and computer science.
Engineering and Applied Sciences: Disciplines that apply scientific knowledge to real-world situations. Engineering is concerned with the creation of “structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes” that improve human lives.
Click here to see the previous entry in the College Speak series.
Comments