Definition: Examples of public liberal arts colleges include SUNY Geneseo, University of Mary Washington, New College of Florida and Truman State University.
A public liberal arts college differs from a private liberal arts college in a few ways:
- State funding - public colleges, by definition, are partly funded by taxpayer money.
- Lower cost - Tuition at public liberal arts college is usually significantly lower than at private colleges. This is particularly true for in-state students.
- The downside - because state-funded colleges often have more budgetary constraints than the top private colleges, the faculty often have higher teaching loads, the student / faculty ratio is often higher, and classes are often slightly larger. These distinctions may disappear when public colleges are compared to second-tier private liberal arts colleges.
- Undergraduate focus - The number of graduate students at a liberal arts college is low or zero.
- Baccalaureate degrees - Most degrees awarded from a liberal arts college are four-year bachelor's degrees such as a B.A. (bachelor of arts) or B.S. (bachelor of science).
- Small size - Nearly all liberal arts colleges have fewer than 5,000 students.
- Liberal arts curriculum - Liberal arts colleges focus on broad skills in thinking and writing, not job-specific coursework.
- Faculty focus on teaching - At a large university, professors are often evaluated for their research and publishing first, and teaching second. At public liberal arts colleges, teaching has the top priority.
- Focus on community - The educational environment at a public liberal arts college tends to be more intimate and personal than at larger public universities.
- Residential - The majority of students at public liberal arts colleges live at college and attend full time.
Also Known As: public four-year college, small public college, public baccalaureate college, small state college, state liberal arts college
