<p>I wonder whether you’d rather want to get a liberal arts education, a major-centered education or a free-service education. Here are a few examples chosen from my field of study, physics:</p>
<p>Fordham (liberal arts education)</p>
<p>[Physics</a> At Fordham University](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/physics/physics_major_1912.asp]Physics”>http://www.fordham.edu/academics/programs_at_fordham_/physics/physics_major_1912.asp)</p>
<p>Liberal arts education often include a sizeable chunk of core courses that provides a broad education that covers a variety of fields but a lot of credits are spent that way. Sometimes people find that breadth and depth in the major are sacrificed to make way for a general education.</p>
<p>University of Montreal (major-centered)</p>
<p>[Freshman</a> year for out-of-province students<a href=“in%20French;%20segment%2072%20relates%20to%20physics”>/url</a>
[url=<a href=“http://www.progcours.umontreal.ca/programme/index_fiche_prog/120010_struc.html]Upper”>http://www.progcours.umontreal.ca/programme/index_fiche_prog/120010_struc.html]Upper</a> division years, common to in-province and out-of-province students<a href=“in%20French”>/url</a></p>
<p>My own school asks for a lot of credits in physics and mathematics (after freshman year, only 6 credits may be taken outside physics or mathematics, with 3 at a minimum) so, while you have options within your major, the program focuses on field breadth and depth, especially second year (the entire program for in-province students) and beyond. However you may not get a general education even if you are getting more breadth and depth in your field.</p>
<p>Tufts (free-service education)</p>
<p><a href=“https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/physics/Major+Requirements[/url]”>https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/physics/Major+Requirements](<a href=“http://www.progcours.umontreal.ca/programme/index_fiche_prog/195019_struc.html]Freshman”>http://www.progcours.umontreal.ca/programme/index_fiche_prog/195019_struc.html)</a>
<a href=“https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/physics/Major+in+Physics[/url]”>https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/physics/Major+in+Physics</a></p>
<p>Free-service education often comprises some core courses (at Tufts, that means three mathematics courses, four physics courses) but a lot of leeway is left for everything else aside from a few graduation requirements (here, two additional math courses and six additional physics courses) Here you have the choice of breadth across several fields, or breadth and depth within a field; the school trusts its students they can make the right academic decisions.</p>
<p>Note that you can get an excellent education from all three types of programs, and some fields are better suited for one type of program or another.</p>