What Are the Humanities?

The humanities are a diverse collection of fields that studies and describes our culture, society, and beliefs. Simply put, the humanities describe who we are and what it means to be human. The humanities include: literature, history, philosophy, language and linguistics, art and music history, and so on.

Why Are the Humanities Important?

The humanities train us to think deeply, independently, and creatively, qualities needed in every aspect of our lives, from business, to engineering, the sciences, politics, and to the overall culture.

Are the Humanities a Viable Career Field?

Unlike many other disciplines, the humanities encompasses an array of intertwined fields. This sheer diversity of humanities-related experiences prepares students in a variety of ways for a broad range of career fields including, but not limited to: marketing, law, economics, technical writing, design, public relations, archiving, and research.

As a result, humanities graduates not only find rewarding careers in academia and the private sector, but increasing evidence shows that salaries of humanities majors eventually match those in other fields.