From the liberal to the practical arts in American colleges and universities: Organizational analysis and curricular change

The shift from arts and sciences to occupational-professional degrees has been one of the most important trends in undergraduate education over the last three decades. This study shows that the shift toward occupational-professional degrees began around 1930 with a short-lived movement back toward the arts and sciences in the 1960s. It also shows that low levels of selectivity are associated with higher proportions of occupational-professional degrees awarded.