What Are the Liberal Arts?

什么是人文科学？

The liberal arts refer to a wide range of academic subjects that can prepare students for a variety of occupations.

人文科学指的是范围广泛的学术科目，而这些科目能够为学生多样的就业选择做好知识铺垫。

College majors that fall under this category do not typically train students for any one career. It includes broad areas of study such as the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics. The humanities include subjects such as English, drama, music, dance and language. Sociology, psychology¹, geography and economics are all social sciences. Biology and physics are two examples of natural sciences.

大学里的人文科学分支专业，并不只是传统意义上锻炼学生某一职业的能力。它涵盖了广泛的学术领域，比如人文学，社会科学，自然科学以及数学。而人文学包括英语，喜剧，音乐，舞蹈以及语言。社会学，心理学，地理学和经济学也属于社会科学的范畴。生物学和物理学则是自然科学的两个例子。

A Great Source for Soft Skills

培养软技能的绝好资源

Regardless of the career you choose, certain qualities called soft skills will make you invaluable² to employers and are vital to your success in many occupations including those in technology. They include critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation, research skills, writing and oral communication, interpersonal skills and the ability to learn.

无论你选择的职业是什么，那些被称为“软技能”的资格能够让你成为雇主间大受欢迎的候选人，并且是你在多种职业，包括技术领域里成功的关键因素。这些软技能包括思辨能力，解决问题的能力，创造力，研究能力，写作与口头表达能力，个人特长以及学习能力。

You may already have some of these abilities, but you must find a way to acquire those you don't. The best way to do that is through liberal arts education. Regardless of your major, make room in your schedule for classes in literature, history, sociology and psychology.

也许你早已具备了其中的一些能力，但你还必须设法学习那些你还没具备的能力。而获取这些能力的最佳方法就是通过人文科学的教育。无论你的专业是什么，为你自己安排一点时间，好好学习文学，历史，社会学和心理学这些学科吧。

Should You Major in Liberal Arts?

你需要把人文科学作为主修科目吗？

There is room for both STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and liberal arts in the education of our future workforce³. Students should be exposed to both areas of study, but we must also realize that there is a suitable career for everyone. You may find that a career that emphasizes the liberal arts is a better fit for you while your best friend may find success in a STEM occupation.

对于STEM（科学，技术，工程学和数学）和人文科学的教育，我们将来的工作劳动力需求都会有它的一席之地。学生们应该多接触这两个领域的学习，但还需要了解是否存在适合任何人就职的职业岗位。你可能会发现，某个非常注重人文科学的职位更适合你，然而你的好朋友却会发现STEM类的职业更适合他。

If you want to pursue a career that requires you to get an undergraduate degree in one of the subjects that falls under this category, you should certainly do that. If you will ultimately need a master's degree for your chosen occupation, you may have some flexibility⁴ regarding your undergraduate major. Choosing a liberal arts major will allow you to not only amass⁵ the soft skills that will follow you through graduate school and your future career, but it will also expose you to a knowledge in a wide range of subjects.

如果你想要从事的职业要求你具备人文学科分支下一个学科的本科学位，你就很应该去实现它。如果你从根本上需要的是一个研究生的学位以配合你的职业需求，那么你则应该对你的本科专业选择有一个灵活的调整。选择人文学科作为你的主修专业不仅能够让你积累大量陪伴你研究生学习甚至是将来的职业的软技能，还能让你接触更广阔的学科知识。