Master Degrees in Humanities

A masters in humanities can cover subjects ranging from literature or religion. You’ll study about human behavior, practices and thought in this type of program. Browse campus-based and online graduate programs today!

Why Pursue a Masters in Humanities Degree?

Nearly every field in the liberal arts, from history to literature to philosophy, is rooted in the humanities. This subset of studies encompasses any area that deals with people, culture, politics or thought processes on scales ranging from the individual to global politics.

Interestingly, in the wake of globalization, a strong humanities background may be particularly useful for students who wish to dive into the world of international commerce or global politics. Unlike hard science fields or other areas of study

falling under the STEM umbrella, a humanities education is designed to impart not just fact-based knowledge, but also critical thinking skills to graduates.

Masters in Humanities Coursework

Humanities is a huge field of study. In fact, rather than a single subject like history or philosophy, humanities are better described as the larger arena into which these other subjects fall. As such, there is no typical course of study in a humanities program. Instead, students are generally free to pursue whichever area of interest is deemed most valuable to them.

Many students of the humanities focus on research-based subjects, such as history, literature and philosophy. Courses along this track tend to focus on providing students with a background in important subject matter canon in the given field of study and analyzing things like historical documents or philosophical texts through a variety of critical lenses.

Additional paths students can take through a humanities education may focus more strictly on cultural studies, such as art history. Conversely, students may wish to take a more public-facing path and direct their studies toward politics and public policy.

Potential Career Paths for Individuals with a Master’s Degree in Humanities

Graduates of a humanities masters degree program might graduate with skills and knowledge that are applicable across a wide variety of industries. This potential skill set includes; critical thinking, problem solving and project management. As such, humanities masters degree program graduates might choose to pursue careers in nearly any field, as the research skills acquired throughout the course of the degree might be useful in a range of settings. Education is one career path that might be pursued by those with backgrounds in humanities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic, secondary and high school teachers earned a 2012 median annual salary of $55,050, with jobs expected to grow in this field by 6 percent through 2022.¹

The critical thinking skills imparted by a humanities masters degree might be put to use in a business setting as well, by those who wish to pursue careers in market research analysis. The BLS reported that these professionals earned a 2012 median annual salary of $60,300, with an estimated job growth of 32 percent expected through 2022.²

Is Earning a Masters Degree in Humanities Right for You?

Humanities is unique in that rather than a specific body of knowledge, it is designed to leave students a broader range of critical and analytical skills that may be useful across nearly every industry. While some humanities graduates choose to pursue career paths within academia, there may be a variety of options available for those who wish to branch out into the private or government sectors as well.

^Resources:

^{1.http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm}

^{2.http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm}