The Decline of the Humanities Major

The traditional picture of a university education, centered on reading great books and debating history, is undergoing a radical shift. For decades, English and History departments were the heart of the undergraduate experience. Today, enrollment in these fields is plummeting as students and parents prioritize Return on Investment (ROI) above all else. This article examines the hard data behind the decline, the economic pressures driving the shift toward business and technology, and what this means for the future of higher education.

The Data Behind the Drop

The shift away from the humanities is not a gradual drift. It is a sharp statistical drop that accelerated rapidly after the 2008 financial crisis. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the humanities fell by nearly 30% between 2012 and 2020.

To put this in perspective, consider the trajectory of specific majors:

  • English: In the early 2000s, English was a staple major. By 2020, the number of English degrees conferred had dropped by roughly a third compared to its peak.
  • History: History majors have seen an even steeper decline. Benjamin Schmidt, a data historian, noted that history degrees dropped more than any other major since the Great Recession, falling by over 35%.
  • Philosophy and Foreign Languages: These smaller departments are often the first to face consolidation or elimination as enrollment numbers fail to justify full-time faculty positions.

While these numbers drop, the total number of students attending college has generally remained high. This means students aren’t skipping college. They are simply choosing different buildings on campus.

The Rise of Career-Centric Degrees

As students leave the humanities, they are flocking to fields with perceived direct pathways to employment. Business has long been the most popular undergraduate major in the United States, but the growth is now concentrated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and health professions.

  • Computer and Information Sciences: This field has seen explosive growth. Between 2011 and 2021, the number of degrees awarded in this sector more than doubled. Students see the starting salaries for software engineers, often exceeding $75,000 straight out of school, as a justification for the high cost of tuition.
  • Health Professions: Nursing and public health degrees have surged. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects significant growth in healthcare jobs, and students are responding to that stability.
  • Engineering: While difficult, engineering programs have seen steady enrollment increases because the career path is linear and the financial outcomes are generally predictable.

The High Cost of Tuition and the "ROI" Mindset

The primary driver of this migration is economic anxiety. The cost of attending a four-year university has skyrocketed. At private institutions like NYU or Boston University, the total cost of attendance (tuition, room, board, and fees) can exceed $80,000 per year. Even public universities have seen tuition rise faster than inflation.

When a degree costs $150,000 to $300,000, students view education as a financial product. They want a guarantee that they will be able to service their student loans.

  • The Parent Factor: Parents often exert significant influence over major selection. Many are unwilling to co-sign loans for a degree in Art History because they fear their child will graduate with debt they cannot repay.
  • The Recession Trauma: The students currently in college grew up watching their parents struggle through the 2008 recession and the subsequent slow recovery. They prioritize financial safety over intellectual exploration.
  • Salary Transparency: Websites like Glassdoor and government data allow high schoolers to see exact starting salaries for different majors. The data shows a stark gap: a Computer Science major might start at $78,000, while a Humanities major might start at $45,000.

Universities Respond with Cuts

Universities are businesses, and they follow the money. As enrollment in humanities courses dwindles, administrators are cutting programs to balance budgets. This creates a cycle where shrinking departments have fewer resources, making them even less attractive to students.

West Virginia University (WVU): A stark example occurred in late 2023 when West Virginia University announced it was cutting 28 majors and reducing faculty by nearly 150 positions. The cuts focused heavily on the humanities, including world languages and creative writing. The university cited a $45 million budget deficit and low enrollment in these specific programs.

Marymount University: similarly, in 2023, Marymount University in Virginia voted to eliminate majors in theology, religious studies, philosophy, English, history, and sociology.

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: This institution proposed eliminating 13 majors, including English, history, and philosophy, to focus on programs with “clear career pathways” like chemical engineering and marketing. While public backlash led to a revision of this plan, the intent was clear.

The Paradox of Soft Skills

Despite the enrollment shift, there is a disconnect between what students study and what employers say they want. In survey after survey, employers list “soft skills” as their top priorities. These include:

  1. Critical thinking
  2. Clear communication (writing and speaking)
  3. Ethical reasoning
  4. Adaptability

These are the exact skills honed in English and History seminars. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft have frequently noted that while coding is essential, they struggle to find employees who can communicate complex ideas effectively or navigate ethical dilemmas in AI development.

However, hiring algorithms and HR departments often filter candidates based on specific technical keywords or degree titles. A student with a Philosophy degree might have superior critical thinking skills, but their resume may never make it past the automated filter looking for “Data Analysis” or “Business Administration.”

What the Future Holds

The decline of the humanities does not mean these subjects will disappear. Instead, they are becoming service departments. English departments may exist primarily to teach mandatory writing courses to Engineering students. History departments may shrink to a handful of professors catering to a small, dedicated cohort of future academics or lawyers.

This shift represents a fundamental change in the purpose of the American university. It is moving away from a model of holistic citizen formation and toward a model of vocational training. While this makes financial sense in the short term for students facing massive debt, educators worry about the long-term cultural impact of a society that studies less history, literature, and ethics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a humanities degree essentially useless for finding a job? No. Humanities graduates do find employment, and their unemployment rate is comparable to other majors over the long term. They often work in law, education, marketing, communications, and management. However, their starting salaries are typically lower than those of STEM graduates.

Which humanities majors have seen the biggest drops? History has seen the most significant percentage decline since 2011, followed closely by English and Foreign Languages.

Are any universities protecting humanities programs? Yes. Elite universities like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton continue to have robust humanities enrollments because their endowments allow them to support smaller departments, and their graduates often have high earning potential regardless of major due to the prestige of the institution. The cuts are most severe at regional public universities and smaller private colleges.

Do humanities majors eventually catch up in salary? There is evidence that the salary gap narrows over time. Humanities graduates often move into management or leadership roles later in their careers where soft skills are highly valued. However, the gap rarely closes completely when compared to high-earning fields like engineering.