Dive Brief:
- A new report from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences explores the state of the humanities field using private data sets and original surveys.
- Findings include that while humanities degrees are a shrinking portion of total degrees conferred, the number of humanities departments is holding steady, eCampus News reports.
- According to the article, graduating classes of humanities undergrads are among the least racially diverse when compared to other programs in academia, excluding students on temporary visas.
Dive Insight:
Cultural shifts have made humanities degrees seem less relevant to many students who want college to be a direct path to specific jobs. The latest report aggregates data from multiple sources, showing multi-decade declines in the share of students earning humanities degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels. The share of students at the undergraduate level majoring in the humanities took a dive during the recession, showing that students likely saw the tough job market and wanted a surer path to steady pay. Many in the humanities argue these degrees prepare students to be successful in a variety of fields. Perception, however, founded in a cultural shift, has clearly hurt the field.