Digital Humanities: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Digital Humanities integrates computational methods, innovative technologies, and humanistic inquiry to explore complex questions across traditional disciplines. This interdisciplinary field empowers scholars and creators to analyze cultural artifacts, historical records, and literary texts through digital tools, fostering deeper understanding and broader public engagement.
- Anthropology: Examines cultural practices, social structures, and human behavior using digital ethnography, data visualization, and interactive mapping techniques.
- Art: Explores digital curation, preservation of visual culture, and new forms of artistic expression through interactive media and virtual exhibitions.
- Data Mining and Machine Learning: Applies algorithmic analysis to large textual, visual, and historical datasets to uncover patterns, trends, and hidden narratives.
- Design: Focuses on user-centered approaches to creating intuitive, accessible, and meaningful digital experiences for scholarly and public audiences.
- Digital Archives: Involves the creation, management, and preservation of born-digital and digitized cultural heritage materials with long-term accessibility in mind.
- Geospatial Technologies: Utilizes GIS and spatial analysis to visualize and interpret historical, cultural, and environmental data across time and place.
- History: Reinterprets historical events and narratives through digital timelines, interactive maps, and computational text analysis.
- Human-Computer Interface Design: Develops effective, inclusive systems that bridge scholarly research and user interaction in digital environments.
- Literature: Investigates textual analysis, stylometry, and digital annotation to study literary form, authorship, and reception across centuries.
- Markup Languages: Employs standards like XML and TEI to encode and structure texts for scholarly analysis, preservation, and interoperability.
- Social Media Technologies: Analyzes digital discourse, public engagement, and information diffusion across online platforms as cultural phenomena.
- Software Development: Builds custom tools and platforms that support research workflows, data management, and collaborative scholarship.
Digital Humanities Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Digital Humanities Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Digital Humanities degrees, including Managers, All Other, Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary and Postsecondary Teachers, All Other. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 872,860 professionals.
National Average Salaries
Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Managers, All Other 11-9199 | $136,550 | $68,860 - $227,590 | 630,980 | $65.65 |
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1062 | $84,290 | $51,130 - $164,650 | 11,430 | N/A |
Postsecondary Teachers, All Other 25-1199 | $78,490 | $39,720 - $172,850 | 151,530 | N/A |
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1123 | $78,270 | $47,540 - $154,800 | 59,590 | N/A |
Curators 25-4012 | $61,770 | $37,110 - $105,520 | 12,280 | $29.70 |
Archivists 25-4011 | $61,570 | $39,330 - $104,780 | 7,050 | $29.60 |
Digital Humanities Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $56,648 in Utah to $109,928 in California—a 94% difference. The highest-paying states include California, New York, and District of Columbia. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 872,860 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Digital Humanities by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 14 institutions offering Digital Humanities programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Digital Humanities is found at Boise State University (BBU) (55 graduates), Modesto Junior College (MJC) (25 graduates), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (14 graduates), University of Pennsylvania (Penn) (10 graduates), and CUNY City College (CCNY) (4 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 126 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boise State University (BBU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
55 | Boise, Idaho | Public | boisestate.edu |
Modesto Junior College (MJC) |
Associate's
|
25 | Modesto, California | Public | mjc.edu |
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) |
Bachelor's
|
14 | Rochester, New York | Private | rit.edu |
University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Other Award
|
10 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
CUNY City College (CCNY) |
Bachelor's
|
4 | New York, New York | Public | ccny.cuny.edu |
Purdue University (PU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
4 | West Lafayette, Indiana | Public | purdue.edu |
Bethel University |
Bachelor's
|
3 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Private | bethel.edu |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
2 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
Concordia University (CUAA) |
Master's
|
2 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Private | cuaa.edu |
University of Southern Mississippi (USM) |
Postbac Cert.
|
2 | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Public | usm.edu |
Seton Hill University |
Bachelor's
|
2 | Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Private | setonhill.edu |
Juniata College |
Other Award
|
1 | Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | Private | juniata.edu |
Saint Vincent College |
Bachelor's
|
1 | Latrobe, Pennsylvania | Private | stvincent.edu |
University of Utah (U of U) |
Other Award
|
1 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | utah.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Digital Humanities programs
How much can I earn with a Digital Humanities degree?
Salaries for Digital Humanities graduates vary by role and location. Managers, All Other earn a median of $136,550 annually, while Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $84,290. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in California average $109,928 compared to $56,648 in Utah. Approximately 872,860 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Digital Humanities programs?
Currently 14 accredited institutions offer Digital Humanities degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Boise State University (BBU) (55 graduates), Modesto Junior College (MJC) (25 graduates), and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (14 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
What career paths are available with a Digital Humanities degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Managers, All Other, Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary, and Postsecondary Teachers, All Other. Related occupations employ approximately 872,860 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
Related Interdisciplinary Programs
Explore similar degree programs within the Interdisciplinary field. These programs share the same academic discipline and may offer complementary skills and career pathways.
Geoarchaeology
A program that focuses on the application of analytical techniques, concepts, and field methods from the earth sciences to solve archaeological questions related...
Geography and Environmental Studies
A program that focuses on interactions between people and the natural and built environments. Includes instruction in climate science, sustainability, environmental science and...
History and Literature
A program with a general synthesis of history and the language and literature of one or more countries or regions or a specialization...
History and Political Science
A program with a general synthesis of history and political science or a specialization which draws from history and political science. Includes instruction...
Linguistics and Anthropology
A program that focuses on the study of the anthropological, historical, and sociological context of language with a particular emphasis on language use...
Linguistics and Computer Science
A program that focuses on the relationship between computer and human language and computational techniques applied to natural language. Includes instruction in computer...