What Can You Do with a Liberal Arts Degree When You Add a Master’s in Commerce?
Turner Vaughn (M.S. in Commerce ’26) has always been drawn to big systems and the forces that shape them. At Washington & Lee University, the Raleigh, NC, native double-majored in Political Science and Environmental Studies, diving into questions about governance, sustainability, and global policy. Today, in UVA McIntire’s M.S. in Commerce Program (MSC), he is examining those same questions through a new lens: how markets move, how companies operate across borders, and how business decisions ripple through the political and environmental landscapes he has long studied.
“I definitely didn’t plan on going to grad school at first,” Vaughn says. “I thought I’d probably take the government route, maybe work as a legislative staffer or join a think tank.”
But by the spring of his senior year, the job market in those fields felt uncertain. “It was kind of a weird, gray area at the time,” he recalls. That uncertainty pushed him to think more seriously about what skills he might need to expand his options. What he realized was simple but important. “One thing I regret is not taking any business classes,” he says. “I started to feel like I—and honestly, probably everyone—could use at least a basic understanding of how business works.”
That realization led him to the MSC program.
Vaughn discovered the program through friends and says he was drawn to its “strong global focus.” “It was really interesting to see how business works in different parts of the world,” he explains. “There’s also a lot of underlying geopolitics tied into it.” For someone trained to think about political systems and environmental challenges, global commerce felt like a natural extension rather than a departure.
The academic fit became even clearer once he enrolled. In courses like Managing Sustainable Development: Business Solutions to Global Challenges. Vaughn has found a direct bridge between his undergraduate studies and business application. “How businesses apply what I learned in undergrad with my Environmental Studies major into an actual free market application, if you will, that’s been really neat,” he says. The class, taught by Professor Mark White, has been especially impactful. “It’s definitely a lively class, and you always have to be attentive. It’s just really interesting material. It’s definitely gotten me thinking about different kinds of jobs I might want to pursue.”
He’s also been drawn to Foundations of Global Commerce with Professor Jim Burroughs. “It’s probably been the most political class so far,” Vaughn says. “I’ve really liked it because part of it is lecture-based, where we dig into how things actually work, and part of it is more of a seminar, where people can share their perspectives.”
For Vaughn, the program has refined his liberal arts training, and outside of the classroom, Career Services has provided practical direction. Vaughn has met with advisers to refine his résumé and explore industries that connect with his interests. “I was kind of in the wilderness in a lot of ways,” he admits. “They helped me with their database and some professor connections who could be useful.”
The program’s Global Immersion Experience, which will take him to Australia for three weeks, further strengthens the link between business and geopolitics that first drew him in. “It felt really unique and exciting,” he says. “It made me realize there’s a real-world application for geopolitics. It’s not just finance basics or technical skills—it’s about applying those ideas to global commerce.”
For students from liberal arts backgrounds who wonder whether business is accessible or relevant, Vaughn offers a clear perspective. “As someone who didn’t know anything about business, it’s really helped me add that to my repertoire,” he says. “It’s to the point where I’m starting to think about how business applies to things in the same way that I thought about how politics or environmental studies applies to other subjects in my undergrad.”
