The State of the Humanities: Higher Education 2015

April 17, 2015

unnamedA new report by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences shows that in certain areas—such as funding for academic research and production of new knowledge—the humanities have recently shown signs of growth. The report found that approximately 25% of all second majors were in the humanities in 2013, and the number of humanities degrees earned as second majors were more than twice as large as that for first majors.

Among humanities graduates with a terminal bachelor’s degree who were employed full-time in 2012, median annual earnings were $51,000, which placed the field above education and the arts, and on par with the social, behavioral, and life sciences.Those who majored in the humanities are more likely than those in other fields to work in the education field, and those with advanced degrees work in “applied humanities” occupation, which allow for the direct application of knowledge and skills cultivated in the field. These include education-related jobs; museum and library occupations; writing, editing, and journalism occupations; and tour and travel guide jobs. See the full report at:

http://www.humanitiesindicators.org/binaries/pdf/HI_HigherEd2015.pdf