Liberal Arts and Sciences - University College Freiburg - Universität ...

30All this has not gone unnoticed in Germany. Time and again, the Confederation ofGerman Employers‘ Associations (BDA) has pointed out the importance of interdisciplinarytraining. This was seconded in 2010 by the German Council of Science andHumanities (Wissenschaftsrat; the most important advisory body for higher educationpolicy) that called for University Colleges at German universities. This is not idletalk. Business and employers’ associations have supported our LAS program in Freiburgfrom the first funding application in 2009 up to today and are keen on getting toknow our graduates!These opportunities and success stories are based on the facts that (1) scientific andsocietal challenges reach beyond academic disciplines and structures; (2) LAS givesstudents key qualifications for today’s dynamic and international job market: Graduateswill have learnt how to learn, will be culturally and intellectually highly flexible aswell as socially and personally responsible while having a sound grounding in a specificacademic field. As Marijk van der Wende, professor of Higher Education at theFree University Amsterdam, stated in her 2011 paper on The Emergence of LiberalArts and Sciences Education in Europe, it’s all about “the deeper need for genericskills, flexibility and interdisciplinarity required for innovation, a key factor for the successof a knowledge economy.”In summary, LAS students are prepared for work responsibilities and careers in internationalenvironments that demand fast and efficient adaptation to varying andcomplex challenges on a day to day basis. Universities, research institutions, thinktanks, international organizations, politics and administration, media as well as internationalfirms are all potential employers.So, while career path for LAS graduates may not be as clear-cut as they are for thosewho read Medicine, Law or Economics, studying LAS in Freiburg will provide you withmany prerequisites necessary for your specific career goals. The most importantingredient, however, is you: LAS gives you the freedom to shape your own education– it also challenges you to use that freedom to set out towards career goals that,ultimately, only you yourself can define.