“We are united as humanists by our drive to ask difficult questions about the boundaries and expression of human existence. Our search to answer those questions creates transformational experiences in our lives and pushes us to become more empathetic members of our communities. In the humanities, we play the long game. We don’t merely train our students to be ready for work. We train our students to be ready for life, and ready for the world.”
Why the Humanities are Cost Effective
One 2017 study found that the fastest-growing jobs in the US in the last 30 years have almost all specifically required a high level of social skills.
- In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprtin but English Majors Endure (NY Times, 2019)
- Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees may set you up for life (BBC, 2019)
- Report busts myth of unemployable humanities grads (Seattle Times, 2018)
- Over Time, Humanities Grads Close Pay Gap With Professional Peers (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2018)
- Shocker: Humanities Grads Gainfully Employed and Happy (Inside Higher Ed, 2018)
Why the Humanities are Good for the Job Market
Research shows that exposure to the humanities is linked to higher empathy and emotional intelligence among trainee doctors. Still, we keep still hearing the same question from parents and even from humanities students themselves: “What can you do with a humanities degree?”
- Yes, Employers Do Value Liberal Arts Degrees (Harvard Business Review, 2019)
- The humanities are becoming more important. Here’s why (World Economic Forum, 2018)
- Liberal Arts in the Data Age (Harvard Business Review, 2017)
- Liberal Arts Graduates: The Future Of The Workplace (Forbes, 2015)
- The Impact of the Arts and Humanities on America’s Future Workforce (Arts and Humanities in the 21st Century WorkForce, 2015))
How the Humanities Benefit Society
Through studying the humanities, one has the opportunity to get to know oneself and others better, the opportunity to become better able to understand and grapple with complex moral issues, the complexities and intricacies of humanity.