<p>How is the academic at a LAC different from a University? </p>
<p>I’m learning that LACs focus on the humanities and sciences, but how would going to a LAC differ from a University in terms of the academics? I know about the small class size, more attention and such. … But at a University, you spend the first two years meeting general requirements in various disciplines, pretty much like interdisciplinary study in LACs, you’ve got to take courses from both humanities and the sciences. So how’s the academic distinctively different? </p>
<p>The academic programs aren’t necessarily any different, as long as we’re talking about the liberal arts and sciences (not pre-professional training in business, agriculture, nursing, etc.) The sequence of courses for a math major or an econ major - the subject matter - is pretty much the same whether we’re talking about Williams College or the University of Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Generally, psychology is considered a liberal arts major (like history, economics, sociology, etc.) However, I believe some universities do have programs that cover applied, clinical psychology and social work at the undergraduate level.</p>
<p>From a liberal arts and science perspective, psychology majors would be reading authors like Freud and Jung to understand their theories about the human mind and personality. They’d be learning how to set up experiments to test hypotheses about cognitive processes or behavior. </p>
<p>In a clinical, pre-professional program, you’d presumably be working toward a licensing credential that might allow you to work in some capacity at a prison, half-way house, psychiatric hospital, etc. My understanding is that you’d often need a Masters degree (if not a MD or PhD) to do work of that nature as well. So you might be well served to start with a liberal arts program unless you are sure you can’t/won’t pursue a higher degree.</p>