Dive Brief:
- The latest analysis from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences finds the number of humanities degrees conferred is at its lowest point since 2003, and the portion of all bachelor’s degree graduates who majored in the humanities is the lowest it has been since at least 1948.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that the data prove what many faculty and department heads have noticed on their own campuses in recent years, and they go beyond shifts that can be attributed to the opening of science and technology fields to women.
- Community colleges have seen increases in the number of students graduating with associate degrees in humanities fields, but 6.7% fewer master’s degrees were conferred between 2012 and 2014, which some see as a potential indication of coming drops at the doctoral level.
Dive Insight:
English and history graduates, which comprise the largest group of humanities degrees conferred, dropped 8% and 12%, respectively, between 2012 and 2014, and archaeology and classical studies took major hits, falling 19%. Core disciplines in the field attracted about 6% of total bachelor’s degree graduates in 2014. In 1967, it was 17%.
The shift away from the humanities has been championed by those touting career-focused higher education. They argue the humanities offer impractical learning opportunities that do not prepare students for high-paying jobs, though mid-career earnings data indicates humanities graduates catch up to their peers in other disciplines. Still there are governors like Matt Bevin in Kentucky, who advocate limiting funding of liberal arts degree programs under the presumption that their graduates do not contribute as much to the economy.