How Liberal Arts got me to where I am: Frances’ story

Our Liberal Arts programme equips students with the essential skills valued by employers across diverse industries, as demonstrated by the wide range of careers our graduates pursue. Frances joined our first ever cohort of Liberal Arts students in 2016, and her final dissertation on improving sustainability in healthcare helped towards securing her role as a Net Zero Strategy Analyst for NHS England. We caught up with Frances to recount more of her experiences as an undergraduate, and how she believes a 2,000-year-old discipline like Liberal Arts is still relevant for helping students develop skills sought out by modern employers.

Why I chose to study Liberal Arts at Warwick

Like many other people I’ve met who have decided to study Liberal Arts, I always felt like a ‘Jack of all trades’ at school; enjoying numerous subjects yet never landing on one that felt like my main passion. Therefore, when it came to picking my degree at university, I decided that I didn’t want to pigeonhole myself into a single discipline, as I believed that gaining skills and knowledge from several areas of study would allow me to remain adaptable, learn different research and communication styles and resolve multifaceted, complex issues.

Luckily, my family was supportive when I expressed my interest in studying Liberal Arts. Both of my parents ended up in careers that were far removed from their original English Literature undergraduate degrees (my dad became a musician whereas my mum went back to university and became a doctor) so people recognised that an interdisciplinary degree like Liberal Arts would be a good fit for me.

I looked at several different courses at other universities, however, ultimately chose the Liberal Arts programme at Warwick, as I was interested by the core Liberal Arts-specific modules designed by the department, whilst the degree’s structure also allowed me to access modules from multiple other departments, enabling me to explore multiple disciplines and interests.

As the course enables you to have so much freedom in your own self-learning, you can mould it to your own research interests or career goals. My dissertation focused on sustainability in the NHS, which helped me to get my current job having already gained an awareness of challenges facing the system when I attended my interview.

What I do now

I currently work as a Net Zero Strategy Analyst for the Greener NHS, where I support the development and delivery of policy and strategy for progressing net zero carbon and adaptation targets in the NHS’ estates, travel and transport, and food operations. My work also involves the collection and analysis of data on progress towards our targets, the development of tools, resources and guidance for sustainability teams in NHS trusts, and engagement with government departments to secure funding for decarbonisation.

The skills and experiences from Liberal Arts that contributed to my success

Many topics we discussed in one of our core first year Liberal Arts modules, ‘Science, Society, and the Media’, thinking about the interactions between science, its communication to the public, and policymaking, remain very relevant to my work today. Success of the NHS sustainability programme relies on successfully communicating the important links between climate change and health to NHS staff, government and policy makers, and the public.

One of the highlights of my time studying was getting to spend a year abroad at Leiden University College, one of the University’s partner institutions in the Netherlands. Studying abroad can help to build your confidence, cultural awareness, and communication skills, and I also got the opportunity to meet lots of new and interesting people, many of whom I’m still in contact with.

What I would tell potential students thinking of studying Liberal Arts

If you choose to study Liberal Arts at Warwick then you will be well looked after, as the tutors genuinely care about the course, its content, and getting the best out of you. You will be challenged but never bored and you will get the opportunity to meet and study alongside lots of interesting people. If you are looking for a degree that offers a more holistic approach to education, with freedom to be creative in your studies and to explore your interests and passions, then Liberal Arts may be the course for you!