How studying the humanities can benefit young people’s future careers and wider society?

Studying the societal and cultural achievements of humans throughout time, humanities students also develop a range of highly useful soft skills.
These include:

  • Critical thinking: by thinking critically, you learn how to find holes in others’ arguments and assess situations, all while improving your decision-making abilities.
  • Empathy: by considering a diverse range of cultures and viewpoints, you will inevitably become a more well-rounded, compassionate person.
  • Communication: In any field of work, at home, or with friends, being able to effectively communi cate is key to success.
  • Ethical insights: being able to engage with ethical dilemmas, understand reasoning, and come to your own conclusions is another essential problem-solving skill.
  • Global competence: the world is a big place, and as time moves on, it is only becoming increasingly connected. Humanities students learn to look at the world holistically, seeing the different ways that cultures from across the globe interact.

A 2023 report, called ‘The Value of the Humanities’ by Oxford University, used an innovative methodology to understand how humanities graduates have fared over their whole careers – not just at a fixed point in time after graduation.

In the largest study of its kind, the report followed the career destinations of over 9,000 Oxford humanities graduates aged between 21 and 54 who entered the job market between 2000 and 2019, cross-referenced with UK government data on graduate outcomes and salaries. This was combined with in-depth interviews with around 100 alumni and current students, and interviews with employers from many sectors.

Professor Dan Grimley, Head of Humanities at Oxford University, said: ‘This report confirms what I and so many humanities graduates will already recognise: that the skills and experiences conferred by studying a humanities subject can transform their working life, their life as a whole, and the world around them.

‘Students, graduates and employers noted that the resilience and adaptability developed during a humanities degree is particularly useful during big changes in the labour market – whether that’s triggered by a global financial crisis, changes caused by the rise of automation and AI technologies, or indeed a global pandemic.