Studying in the Humanities

It seems like discussion of business and criminal justice programs rule the day here. So let's discuss humanities programs and the reasons we choose to study in these fields. If we could please avoid discussion of the “do you want fries with that?” tangent, it would be much appreciated.

Why study the humanities? If you are a humanities student/teacher, which of these appealed to you? Was it another reason?
Understanding our culture and history improves understanding of ourselves
Expansion of knowledge
Studying the humanities makes us better citizens
Personal enrichment
To teach a beloved subject
The subject matter is inherently important to me

I also am very aware of how difficult it is to gain full-time university teaching positions in these fields at the moment, so if your motivation included making a living from this education in some other fashion, please do specify.

 

Programs

I'd also like to hear about some of the programs you've come across, and so perhaps this thread can be a resource for people considering such programs in future. I've included below some that I (very subjectively) view as high quality:

California State University, Dominguez Hills: MA, Humanities
Harvard University: ALM

University of London, Royal Holloway College: BA, History
Western Kentucky University: MA, History
Sam Houston State University: MA, History
University of South Africa: MA, DLitt, History
University of South Africa: BA, BA (Hons), History

University of London, Birkbeck College: BA, Philosophy
University of Wales, Trinity St. David: MA, Philosophy
Sofia University (Bulgaria, English language program): PhD, Philosophy
University of South Africa: BA, BA (Hons), Philosophy
University of South Africa: MA, DLitt, Philosophy

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania: BA, Art History
University of South Africa: BA, BA (Hons), Art History
Azusa Pacifc University: MA, Modern Art History

University of Florida: MA, PhD, Classics
University of Wales, Trinity St. David: MA, Classics
University of South Africa: BA, BA (Hons), Classics
University of South Africa: MA, DLitt, Classics

University of London, Goldsmiths College: BA, English
University of South Africa: BA, BA (Hons), English
University of South Africa: MA, DLitt, English
University of South Africa: MA, DLitt, Modern Languages - French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Arabic

University of Wales, Trinity St. David (secular): MA, Study of Religions
University of South Africa (secular): MA, DLitt, Religious Studies
University of South Africa: BA, BA (Hons), Religious Studies
University of London, Heythrop College (Roman Catholic): BD
St. John's College, Nottingham (Anglican): BA, Theology

 

Maybe I should start a 12 step group for people who formerly held a "Fries with that?" attitude. I started reading in the humanities and just found it to be fun/interesting. I have no intention of teaching but I can easily imagine writing articles or even a book. A blog, a podcast, who knows. My primary interest is American culture. Sometimes that looks like pop culture, sometimes sport culture, sometimes intellectual culture. I have a meta-interest in celebrities and the American addiction to them. Because of this I'm more interested in how to think rather than what to think.

 

My VP summarized our hiring philosophy in a way that I think really resonates with me:

"We need to find individuals who are clever enough to quickly adapt to the way we do business here and have the drive to want to succeed."

One of my colleagues has a Bachelor of Divinity (and no other degree). He works as an HRIS Analyst. He's very, very good at his job.

His Bachelor of Divinity didn't qualify him for the job. It didn't give him the necessary skills to excel in the job. We require a bachelors for analyst positions because, as a company, it was decided that professionals should have a bachelors degree. Any position designated as "professional" level has this requirement. In fact, technically, you could get a job with my company as an Accountant 1 or 2 without a degree at all. But you would need a degree to advance to Accountant 3 (in practice, it is very rare for someone without a degree to get the job because the expectation is that they will promote through the series).

My former manager had a degree in "Government."

There is nothing that says you can't be an HR person if you have a bachelors in philosophy, history, political science or religion. If you have one of those degrees then your first HR job might be a bit tricky to justify. But once you have even a few years of experience under your belt your degree major matters much less than your experience and certifications (at least in HR).

I think that there are two separate paths, which sometimes overlap: academic and vocational.

For some people, the overlap is clear. If I go to college for a bachelors degree in accounting, I am pursuing an academic discipline which provides a fairly clear path toward employment.

For others, they are two separate and distinct paths. One person might go to plumbing school. Another might go to college to earn a degree in English. Maybe the person with the English degree will later go to plumbing school.

Why would someone earn a degree with no clear vocational path? There can be many reasons. Maybe that person feels like they want the college "experience." Or maybe they aspire to professional level work but don't really know what they want to do. Maybe they start their journey with the intention of eventually earning a PhD and drop off before that happens. Or maybe they do it because they want to be able to study something of interest to them.

A B.A. in Humanities can (along with any other bachelors degree) qualify you to get into law school (where you will likely again be faced with needing a vocational path). If you really wanted to, you could use it to get into medical or veterinary school (provided you meet the course requirements. And, if you don't, there are a number of schools offering 1 year pre-med programs for college graduates). Maybe you'll stumble your way into marketing, or HR, or a staff position at a university.

Or maybe you'll eventually go on to get a Microsoft certification and start designing databases.

 

Some programs in the humanities:

Saint Joseph's College of Maine: MA Theology.
University of New Orleans, MA Romance Languages (Spanish, French track).
American Public/Military University: MA Humanities.
Tiffin University: MA Humanities.
The Tseng College at California State University, Northridge: MA Humanities.

 

Oops, I forgot another humanities/history degree. It is from Slippery Rock University. I love the name.

Slippery Rock University, online MA History.

 

Thanks everyone for those replies, and for the additional program listings. One of my longer-term concerns is that humanities programs appear to be facing cuts and potential elimination most places in the US, except for elite institutions. That's an imbalance that I don't think is healthy, and would have barred me (working undergrad at a minor state university) from that kind of education.

 

I work with students who live the humanities through a Great Books type approach at Hillsdale College in Michigan. They love the Great Conversation. I studied philosophy (BA), pastoral theology (MDiv), and systematic theology (ThM). I'm considering going on to get the DA at HMU just because I love the conversations I have with the students and would like to be able to contribute to them in some way. I have no interest in teaching as I already live my dream as a pastor. I'd like to write, which is why I want to continue my education in order write gooder.

Out of curiosity, why was HMU not in the list(s) above? I think it used to be a favorite on this site. Right now I am deciding between a US Doctor of Ministry degree (B&M), a South African PhD in Theology (SATS), or the HMU Doctor of Arts.

*after writing all this, I realize I might not be the target responder but I do work with those in the humanities, including several professors.