Best Practices of Liberal Arts Education: Curricula in Liberal Arts Colleges

As the primary example of best practice of liberal arts education, curricula in American liberal arts college have some distinctive features. Guided by the principle of integrating curriculum breadth and depth, both general education and major courses in liberal arts colleges may develop in a balanced way. Even the curriculum implementation at liberal arts colleges is fully reflective of the idea of liberal arts education. Small class sizes enhance students’ participation and promote intimate relations between faculty and students, and teachers’ investment in teaching occupies most of their time, which provides the conditions for high quality teaching. With the full cooperation of faculty, interdisciplinary curricula and majors are being developed continuously. All of these factors contribute to the nature of liberal arts education in liberal arts colleges’ curricula.