TUCSON, Ariz. — Olivia Howe initially doubted the practicality of adding French to her finance major at the University of Arizona. However, those language skills secured her a job at Siemens, a multinational tech company, upon her graduation this spring.
“The reason I got the job is because of my French,” Howe stated, acknowledging the unexpected value of her language studies in the job market. She now plans to learn German to further enhance her communication abilities.
The University of Arizona is actively promoting the benefits of humanities majors to counter declining enrollment. Notably, since 2018, the number of humanities majors has surged by 76%, thanks to a new degree in applied humanities that integrates with business, engineering, and medicine programs.
Alain-Philippe Durand, dean of the College of Humanities, emphasizes the marketable skills humanities provide, including effective communication and critical thinking. “What we are up against is the constant negative storytelling about how the humanities are useless,” he remarked. To combat this narrative, the university has launched a marketing campaign, including a billboard on Interstate 10 declaring “Humanities=Jobs.”
Universities across the U.S. are grappling with a decline in humanities degrees, which dropped 24% from 2012 to 2022. Institutions like Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are linking humanities education with job readiness, drawing more students to these programs. Georgia Tech, for example, has seen a 58% enrollment increase in its Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts since 2019.
Programs such as French for medical professionals at Washington University in St. Louis attract students by offering unique opportunities, like studying in Nice and interning at a hospital. These experiences provide a competitive edge for medical school admissions.
Virginia Tech’s executive education program uses humanities to enhance leadership skills, appealing to professionals from companies like Amazon and Microsoft. “The superpowers of the future emanate from the humanities: introspection and imagination, storytelling and story-listening, critical thinking,” said program developer Rishi Jaitly.
Despite the challenges, universities are innovating to demonstrate the humanities’ real-world applications. Central Michigan University recently introduced a public and applied liberal arts degree, integrating humanities with entrepreneurship and environmental studies.
Highlighting successful alumni is another strategy. Arizona’s College of Humanities showcases a video featuring graduates like a senior counsel at Netflix and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Such testimonials reassure prospective students and their families of the degrees’ value.
Students like Olivia Howe and Peyton Broskoff have found their humanities studies invaluable. Howe realized her passion for French opened career doors, while Broskoff credits her humanities courses for fostering intercultural competence, advantageous in marketing roles.
Evidence suggests that humanities graduates earn more over time, despite initial lower salaries. The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce reports that liberal arts college graduates earn approximately $200,000 more over their careers. Meanwhile, the cost of teaching humanities is significantly lower than engineering, according to a University of North Carolina System study.
As public universities rely on enrollment numbers for funding, boosting humanities enrollment is vital for sustainability. Matt Mars, a professor at Arizona, emphasizes the need for innovation: “If we think innovation is important, then we need to be innovative.”
Some legislators remain skeptical about funding humanities departments, especially those with gender and ethnic studies. Younger faculty members, however, recognize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to align with student needs.
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