As course registration for the spring semester opens up, students eagerly — and anxiously — build their schedule for the upcoming semester. However, in a STEM-focused school such as UTD, students often lack incentives to pursue liberal arts topics such as foreign languages. Although UTD has made some investments in the arts, especially with the unveiling of the new Athenaeum, these projects aim to promote campus appeal and draw visitors more than provide academic incentives or benefits to students taking an interest in the liberal arts outside their major. Without these incentives, students have little motivation to pursue a liberal arts interest such as taking a foreign language course, which reinforces UTD’s narrow, STEM-heavy academic focus.
Unfortunately, multiple universities have experienced a decline in liberal arts enrollment. For instance, UT Austin observed their total number of undergraduate students enrolled in foreign language courses drop from 4,750 students in fall 2014 to 4,224 students enrolled in fall 2023. Learning a foreign language does not only students academically, but also provides cognitive benefits. Research has shown bilingual adults have improved memories compared to their monolingual counterparts. Aside from the neurological satisfaction, learning foreign languages provides students access to a wider job market. Despite these advantages, most degree plans do not require foreign language learning, or any more liberal arts education than the basic two courses required by UTD’s common core.
The lack of incentive may originate from the strong STEM emphasis that dominates campus culture at UTD. With the job market fluctuating and the cost of living rising, students place a greater emphasis on finding a high-paying job after graduation, and the easiest way to succeed in doing so is by completing a STEM degree. In the pursuit of this quest, students deprioritize the need for a liberal arts approach in their overall education. While students pursuing a STEM degree with the goal of securing a high-paying job is perfectly understandable, some tend to neglect the liberal arts aspect, such as communication and cultural awareness, of an undergraduate education. UTD’s heavy STEM influence convinces students to overlook the value of liberal arts such as foreign languages, viewing them as less irrelevant to their academic and career goals.
By working part-time jobs outside of campus, I find that I’ve been becoming a better student and worker by perfecting my communication and management skills. While I do understand that it’s important to maintain a STEM background for a high-paying job, I cannot rely on my academics alone to pursue my career goals. Even employers say that while an applicant’s proficiency in technology is a given standard, they observe key differences in the applicants’ soft skills and holistic approach. These differences oftentimes become the deciding factor between receiving a rejection and being hired.
While society’s emphasis on the importance of finding a high-paying STEM job can correlate to the lack of prioritization in pursuing a liberal arts major or interest, it is not the sole reason for the nationwide decline. The average percentage of students applying to college has been decreasing drastically. From 2019 to 2022, the average percentage of undergraduate enrollment has dropped by 8%. Likewise, state support, particularly public funding, has been decreasing at a similarly alarming rate.
Because a liberal arts education is so important, I encourage all STEM degree seekers to take one liberal arts class next semester. The benefits of foreign language classes are well-documented, but more unorthodox classes can still offer the perspective shifts and soft skills customary of a liberal arts education. My personal favorite class, which is also being offered this spring, is ANGM 2375, History of Games — it isn’t a heavy course, and I had a lot of fun learning about how games like Pac-Man were originally developed. If that isn’t to your interest, there will definitely be a liberal arts course at UTD that is.