If you’re interested in going into the liberal arts or humanities, then you’ll want to find a school that has an excellent humanities program. Most of the colleges and universities in the United States have at least some type of humanities department, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all the same.
A humanities degree is extremely broad. You may choose to pursue a degree in fine arts, mathematics, foreign languages, communication, social sciences, religion, or other fields that align with the humanities department’s goals.
Top 5 Humanities Degree Programs
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Idaho | Moscow, Idaho |
| 2 | University of Michigan- Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| 3 | The University of California in Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California |
| 4 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick, New Jersey |
| 5 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California |
Of course, with such a varied department, it means that there is a wide range in jobs. Depending on what field you go into, you could be looking a highly paid jobs, like economists with an average pay of $102,490, or public relations specialists, which pays an average of $59,300.
As mentioned above, what you do with your humanities degree and how much you earn will depend on the discipline you select. With such a wide range of options, you could find yourself working in the arts, sciences, or with social services. There are many excellently paying jobs in these fields, and you should be aware that not all of them require the same level of education.
We have selected 15 of the top schools for degree-seeking students to get humanities degrees. These are ranked based on tuition cost for in-state students and the overall teacher/student ratio.
Top 15 Schools for Humanities Degrees
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is located in Moscow, Idaho, and does focus on engineering and agriculture. In the humanities, there is an Arts and English department. The school offers 93 total bachelor’s programs, so there are plenty to choose from. It specifically offers classes in the Art and History of the Motion Picture for interested humanities students.
School Overview
University of Michigan- Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, is located in Ann Arbor and was founded back in 1817. This school offers 250 undergraduate majors, 100 doctoral programs and 200 master’s programs. The community is strong there with over 1,400 student clubs.
School Overview
The University of California in Los Angeles
UCLA is a world-renowned facility that offers 230 undergraduate and graduate majors. It offers a year-long cluster course for undergraduates that is a challenging interdisciplinary course for new students. Over half of all UCLA students graduate with research experience in the social sciences, STEM, or humanities.
School Overview
Rutgers University
Rutgers University has consistently ranked as one of the most diverse in the country. It has a “Road to Wall Street” internship program that allows students to enter the financial sector, pharmacy industry, and other fields. The school also has the Centre for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, which aims to help 1,000 minority entrepreneurs in the first 20 years of the program.
School Overview
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley, is one of the more prestigious universities in the country. It is located in San Francisco and centers its traditions on political activism. It was once home to several notable alumni such as Jack London, Gregory Peck, and Joan Didion.
School Overview
Princeton University
Princeton University is another Ivy League university that offers a selection of humanities courses. It offers study abroad programs as well as a focus on high research activity. Students are prepared to move on from a Bachelor’s degree into the workforce or to a Master’s or Doctor’s degree.
School Overview
Harvard University
Harvard University is an Ivy League school with a reputation that proceeds it. It is a mid-sized school and offers many popular majors such as computer science, political science, economics, and fine art. Harvard alumni benefit from the school’s well-known name and average a starting salary of $70,300.
Harvard offers experiences abroad, the SHARP program, and other humanities programs that appeal to liberal arts students.
School Overview
Stanford University
Stanford University has always promoted the education of “cultured, useful citizens.” It places a heavy emphasis on the humanities. The School of Humanities and Sciences awards 63 percent of all the undergraduate degrees from the school. It also awards around 40 percent of the doctoral degrees.
School Overview
Yale University
Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and is ranked the fourth-best college in the country. Most impressively, Yale meets 100% of students’ financial needs without loans. All Yale undergraduates must enter the single liberal arts college. There are over 2,000 courses offered and 80 majors as of 2020.
School Overview
New York University
New York University is a private institution that aims to set trends in global research. The school offers well-known programs in the fine arts, nursing, dentistry, and social sciences. It has campuses on two continents, so foreign exchange programs are available to students.
School Overview
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania offers a selection of excellent humanities programs. This is one of the nine original Colonial Colleges, which means it was established back before the country was a nation. The school has affiliations with over 25 Nobel laureates and several literary professionals.
School Overview
Duke University
Located in North Carolina, Duke University is among the wealthiest universities in the country. It is home to the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. Around 95 percent of the students graduate within four years, and psychology and economics are among the most popular majors.
School Overview
Cornell University
Also an Ivy League school, Cornell is a unique university that offers the chance to study abroad in Rome. Students there can learn about architecture, art, and urban planning. Cornell has six different locations around the world, and the campuses are sometimes so large that students have an opportunity to hike without leaving it.
School Overview
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is an urban research university. It focuses on an interdisciplinary core curriculum that develops analytical, writing and critical thinking skills. Alumni from UChicago include scholars, attorney generals, literary giants, and others.
School Overview
Columbia University
Columbia University is located in New York, New York, in the heart of the busy state. This university offers close to 100 areas of study and 20 schools scattered around the city. It has degrees in business, law, architecture, language, and many other fields.
School Overview
Ranking Specifications
In this article, we compared the in-state tuition rates and student-to-teacher ratios to determine which school would have the best deal for students looking at those two factors. While all attempts have been made to provide up-to-date information, the rankings above are not guaranteed.
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