Graduates Of Humanities Distance Learning Course Programs Enter Fulfilling Career Arenas Of Personal Interaction In Diverse Industries

Students who want to land jobs that can directly help others might consider a humanities degree. Through humanities studies at bricks and mortar and online colleges and universities, students might also gain feelings of personal enrichment and fulfillment. Humanities degree programs don’t typically include studies that are these days more popular – say, for instance, web design, entrepreneurship, or renewable energy.

On the other hand, there are careers beyond those with which humanities degrees are typically associated that could benefit from these types of studies, some say. Humanities degrees can lead to careers in social services, education and business and, when part of an arts and humanities degree, can open doors to work in journalism, public relations and broadcasting. When participating in campus and online college and university studies in the humanities, students might learn about a variety of topics, including languages, philosophy, culture, religion, history, English and archaeology.

If you’re a student interested in working toward a humanities degree online or otherwise, you might find them difficult to come by. Budget cuts at public institutions can affect the number of programs in areas such as the humanities. “Programs that are engaged in the production of knowledge that is readily turned into money are the targets of investment,” classical and Near Eastern studies professor Eva von Dassow told a regents board in a speech that was digitally recorded and posted on YouTube. . . . the rest are to be downsized into. . . credits and a degree factory.”

The only humanities degree in Washington State, in fact, is in Pullman. University students there might gain an understanding of a global culture from several perspectives by taking classes in women’s and ethnic studies, the institution’s website suggests. Students working toward a bachelor’s degree in arts and humanities at an Oregon college, on the other hand, have opportunities to select majors such as modern languages, theatre, music, visual culture and communication arts.

In a 2009 edition of The Chronicle, National Humanities Center President and Director Geoffrey Galt Harphan wrote that “the humanities elicit and exercise ways of thinking that help us navigate the world we live in”. Had financial analysts studied the humanities, he suggested, they might have better understood human behavior and anticipated the economic crisis as it related to lenders, borrowers, the stock market and more. In the process of reading and enjoying visual arts, people come to establish expectations about what happens next, according to Harphan’s writings.

Degrees in the humanities, many agree, help students develop skills in communication, problem solving, research and analysis. An English professor who serves on a Council for the Humanities board in an Inside Higher Education opinion piece suggested that graduate studies in humanities train students for work beyond teaching and research assistance. He proposed that humanities departments, some of which offer courses in ethics, values and aesthetics, consider the value of having professional “humanists” in government, non-profit associations, business or even the military.

At a Philadelphia, Pa., college, the humanities are actually being added as part of a new general studies degree program. The idea is to increase the number of students who continue their education beyond the high school level, a Business Wire news item noted. A college or university education alone, according to a business professor interviewed for Inside Higher Education, can help reduce crime values, increase contributions to the community and more.

With the Community College Humanities Association, college instructor and US Poet Laureate Kay Ryan earlier this year was expected to bring attention to community colleges and the humanities. She was planning a “Poetry for the Mind’s Joy” competition that was announced by the Library of Commerce. Through a video conference scheduled to be streamed live over the Internet, Ryan was to talk about poetry writing.

As more traditional colleges seem to leaning away from this field, online education programs are stepping up, providing online humanities degrees that will enhance the learning experience and knowledge of any student. Taking a course online in this specialty will certainly bring a depth to any other subject studied and add one more integral part to a student’s career prospects. It may even result in masters degree in humanities that open new career opportunities.