The enduring value the liberal arts & sciences provide employers

The LSA Opportunity Hub is not just a career center – we are a career exploration center for the university’s liberal arts and sciences students, a student population over 20,000 strong. This means we take a wide, rather than narrow approach when it comes to workforce preparation so that students coming to work for you are renewed by a sense of career clarity on their interests, purpose, and meaning.

The Harvard Business Review recently reported from AAC&U data that employers overwhelmingly seek breadth of learning and cross-cutting skills as the best kind of preparation for career succession and growth. Not surprisingly, the learning outcomes they rate as most important map very strongly to NACE’s core career readiness competencies – which includes proficient writing and speaking, critical thinking, ethical judgment, effective teamwork, and the real-world application of skills and knowledge. LSA curricular requirements mean that students have examined the world, its problems–and its opportunities–from a variety of perspectives.

The Brookings Institute observed that a broad base of skills, such as effective communication and exceptional writing skills, last a lifetime, whereas specific skills in more technical subjects – such as computer science, engineering, and business – often have a shorter shelf life because of the rapid obsolescence of technical jobs driven by the ubiquity of AI. Strada further supports these findings as they found in a recent study that liberal arts graduates typically pivot into higher level, always-in-demand careers in marketing, advertising, public relations, management, and human resources.

Outcomes of U-M LSA graduates six months out

According to recent First-Destination Data, 83% of LSA graduates reported being employed or continuing education up to six months after graduating. Of those employed, 95% reported being employed on a full-time basis.

Who is hiring arts and sciences students? The five top industries LSA students are recruited into right out of college include healthcare, internet & software, management consulting, investment banking & portfolio management, and finally, research. The top 25 employers of LSA graduates include Amazon, Capital One, Michigan Medicine, Bank of America, Accenture, Bloomberg, IBM, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, National Institute of Health, KPMG, and Trinity Health. 

Drawing on AAC&U data, the Harvard Business Review reported that 93% of executives and 94% of hiring managers stated that they would be more likely to hire a recent graduate who has held an internship or apprenticeship with a company or organization. Hub data shows that 73% of LSA graduates completed at least one internship during college, making them more hireable and more prepared to work for employers like you.

How to recruit LSA students

Pro-tip #1: Post your internships and jobs on LSA Engage, the college’s career services platform. The entire LSA student body accesses this platform to schedule coaching appointments, apply for jobs and internships, and register for events. 

Pro-tip #2: Create a larger and more diverse candidate pool by not limiting the job posting to specific majors (because of the perception that it directly aligns with the role) and instead try to identify and specify the core skills that the ideal candidate would need to possess in order to succeed in a particular role.