
The Professional Baccalaureate
Professional baccalaureate degree programs are designed to identify the parameters, and nurture the components, of a professional field of study and training. Rather than building upon a liberal arts core curriculum, the professional degree specifically focuses upon praxis skills needed to function professionally within the chosen field. Whereas a liberal arts education attempts to foster a broad foundation of general studies, the professional degree concentrates on operational skills which address the practical and theoretical demands of the profession being pursued. Ideally, the student coming into a professional degree program will have already been sufficiently exposed to liberal studies such that full attention may be occupied with the professional range of knowledge needed to meet performance expectations within the marketplace. If the interest is in professional skills development, then the professional degree should, quite clearly, be pursued.