Humanities Studies: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Humanities Studies offers an interdisciplinary exploration of human thought, expression, and culture, drawing from foundational disciplines that examine the complexities of identity, meaning, and creativity. This program emphasizes critical inquiry, historical context, and aesthetic analysis to foster deep understanding of the intellectual and artistic achievements that shape societies across time and space.
- Languages and Linguistics: Investigation into the structure, evolution, and cultural significance of spoken and written languages, including comparative analysis and language acquisition theory.
- Literature and Literary Theory: Close reading and interpretation of literary works across genres and historical periods, with attention to narrative form, authorial intent, and cultural influence.
- Visual and Performing Arts: Study of artistic expression through painting, sculpture, theater, dance, and film, focusing on style, historical movements, and cultural context.
- Music and Sound Studies: Exploration of musical composition, performance practices, and the role of sound in cultural and historical settings.
- Philosophy and Ethics: Critical examination of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, and human conduct through classical and contemporary thought.
- Religious Studies and Comparative Theology: Analytical study of religious traditions, beliefs, rituals, and their impact on individual and collective worldviews across civilizations.
Humanities Studies Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Humanities Studies Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Humanities Studies degrees, including 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 151,530 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other 25-1199 | $78,490 | $39,720 - $172,850 | 151,530 | N/A |
Humanities Studies Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $49,690 in Nevada to $135,380 in Hawaii—a 172% difference. The highest-paying states include Hawaii, Nebraska, and California. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 151,530 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 Humanities Studies by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 99 institutions offering Humanities Studies 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 Humanities Studies is found at Santa Monica College (SMC) (2,535 graduates), Shasta College (1,459 graduates), San Joaquin Delta College (1,191 graduates), Pasadena City College (PCC) (908 graduates), and Riverside City College (RCC) (791 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 20,605 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica College (SMC) |
Associate's
|
2,535 | Santa Monica, California | Public | smc.edu |
| Shasta College |
Associate's
|
1,459 | Redding, California | Public | shastacollege.edu |
| San Joaquin Delta College |
Associate's
|
1,191 | Stockton, California | Public | deltacollege.edu |
| Pasadena City College (PCC) |
Associate's
|
908 | Pasadena, California | Public | pasadena.edu |
| Riverside City College (RCC) |
Associate's
|
791 | Riverside, California | Public | rcc.edu |
| Nassau Community College (NCC) |
Associate's
|
713 | Garden City, New York | Public | ncc.edu |
| Norco College |
Associate's
|
631 | Norco, California | Public | norcocollege.edu |
| Santa Ana College (SAC) |
Associate's
|
623 | Santa Ana, California | Public | sac.edu |
| Moreno Valley College (MVC) |
Associate's
|
543 | Moreno Valley, California | Public | mvc.edu |
| Santiago Canyon College (SCC) |
Associate's
|
456 | Orange, California | Public | sccollege.edu |
| Ventura College |
Associate's
Other Award
|
349 | Ventura, California | Public | venturacollege.edu |
| Golden West College (GWC) |
Associate's
|
338 | Huntington Beach, California | Public | goldenwestcollege.edu |
| Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) |
Associate's
|
328 | Santa Barbara, California | Public | sbcc.edu |
| Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) |
Associate's
|
314 | Woodland Hills, California | Public | lapc.edu |
| Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) |
Associate's
|
312 | Wilmington, California | Public | lahc.edu |
| Mt San Jacinto Community College District (MSJC) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
293 | San Jacinto, California | Public | msjc.edu |
| El Camino Community College District (ECC) |
Associate's
|
291 | Torrance, California | Public | elcamino.edu |
| SUNY Westchester Community College |
Associate's
|
285 | Valhalla, New York | Public | sunywcc.edu |
| Saddleback College |
Associate's
|
270 | Mission Viejo, California | Public | saddleback.edu |
| Cuesta College |
Associate's
|
267 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | cuesta.edu |
| Lassen Community College |
Associate's
|
218 | Susanville, California | Public | lassencollege.edu |
| Moorpark College |
Associate's
|
207 | Moorpark, California | Public | moorparkcollege.edu |
| Los Angeles City College (LACC) |
Associate's
|
184 | Los Angeles, California | Public | lacitycollege.edu |
| Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) |
Associate's
Other Award
|
182 | Annandale, Virginia | Public | nvcc.edu |
| Compton College |
Associate's
|
181 | Compton, California | Public | compton.edu |
| Chaffey College |
Associate's
|
180 | Rancho Cucamonga, California | Public | chaffey.edu |
| East Los Angeles College (ELAC) |
Associate's
|
179 | Monterey Park, California | Public | elac.edu |
| Palo Verde College (PVC) |
Associate's
|
177 | Blythe, California | Public | paloverde.edu |
| Irvine Valley College (IVC) |
Associate's
|
165 | Irvine, California | Public | ivc.edu |
| Grossmont College |
Associate's
|
164 | El Cajon, California | Public | grossmont.edu |
| College of the Redwoods (CR) |
Associate's
|
158 | Eureka, California | Public | redwoods.edu |
| Rockland Community College (RCC) |
Associate's
|
158 | Suffern, New York | Public | sunyrockland.edu |
| College of the Desert (COD) |
Associate's
|
154 | Palm Desert, California | Public | collegeofthedesert.edu |
| Oxnard College |
Associate's
|
152 | Oxnard, California | Public | oxnardcollege.edu |
| Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) |
Associate's
|
130 | Santa Rosa, California | Public | santarosa.edu |
| Cerro Coso Community College |
Associate's
|
129 | Ridgecrest, California | Public | cerrocoso.edu |
| Los Medanos College (LMC) |
Associate's
|
126 | Pittsburg, California | Public | losmedanos.edu |
| Cosumnes River College (CRC) |
Associate's
|
123 | Sacramento, California | Public | crc.losrios.edu |
| Orange County Community College (SUNY Orange) |
Associate's
|
123 | Middletown, New York | Public | sunyorange.edu |
| West Los Angeles College (WLAC) |
Associate's
|
121 | Culver City, California | Public | wlac.edu |
| Imperial Valley College (IVC) |
Associate's
|
114 | Imperial, California | Public | imperial.edu |
| SUNY Corning Community College |
Associate's
|
112 | Corning, New York | Public | corning-cc.edu |
| Rio Hondo College (RHC) |
Associate's
|
110 | Whittier, California | Public | riohondo.edu |
| MiraCosta College |
Associate's
|
109 | Oceanside, California | Public | miracosta.edu |
| University of Chicago (UChicago) |
Master's
|
109 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | uchicago.edu |
| Palomar College |
Associate's
|
108 | San Marcos, California | Public | www2.palomar.edu |
| California State University (CSUMB) |
Bachelor's
|
107 | Seaside, California | Public | csumb.edu |
| Coastline Community College (CC) |
Associate's
|
99 | Fountain Valley, California | Public | coastline.edu |
| Mission College |
Associate's
|
89 | Santa Clara, California | Public | missioncollege.edu |
| Contra Costa College (CCC) |
Associate's
|
88 | San Pablo, California | Public | contracosta.edu |
| Victor Valley College (VVC) |
Associate's
|
88 | Victorville, California | Public | vvc.edu |
| Berkeley City College (BCC) |
Associate's
|
86 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeleycitycollege.edu |
| Onondaga Community College (OCC) |
Associate's
|
86 | Syracuse, New York | Public | sunyocc.edu |
| Folsom Lake College (FLC) |
Associate's
|
85 | Folsom, California | Public | flc.losrios.edu |
| Seton Hall University (SHU) |
Bachelor's
|
84 | South Orange, New Jersey | Private | shu.edu |
| Washington State University (WSU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
81 | Pullman, Washington | Public | wsu.edu |
| Cayuga County Community College |
Associate's
|
80 | Auburn, New York | Public | cayuga-cc.edu |
| Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) |
Associate's
|
78 | Troy, New York | Public | hvcc.edu |
| San Diego City College |
Associate's
|
76 | San Diego, California | Public | sdcity.edu |
| Porterville College |
Associate's
|
71 | Porterville, California | Public | portervillecollege.edu |
| New York University (NYU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
71 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| Florida State University (FSU) |
Bachelor's
|
70 | Tallahassee, Florida | Public | fsu.edu |
| Jefferson Community College (JCC) |
Associate's
|
69 | Watertown, New York | Public | sunyjefferson.edu |
| SUNY Adirondack |
Associate's
|
67 | Queensbury, New York | Public | sunyacc.edu |
| Dutchess Community College (DCC) |
Associate's
|
66 | Poughkeepsie, New York | Public | sunydutchess.edu |
| Thomas Edison State University (TESU) |
Bachelor's
|
65 | Trenton, New Jersey | Public | tesu.edu |
| University of Arizona |
Bachelor's
|
61 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
| College of the Canyons |
Associate's
|
61 | Santa Clarita, California | Public | canyons.edu |
| Cypress College |
Associate's
|
58 | Cypress, California | Public | cypresscollege.edu |
| De Anza College |
Associate's
|
57 | Cupertino, California | Public | deanza.edu |
| Glen Oaks Community College (GOCC) |
Associate's
|
56 | Centreville, Michigan | Public | glenoaks.edu |
| Sierra College |
Associate's
|
55 | Rocklin, California | Public | sierracollege.edu |
| Yuba College |
Associate's
|
49 | Marysville, California | Public | yc.yccd.edu |
| Pacifica Graduate Institute |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
48 | Carpinteria, California | Private | pacifica.edu |
| Taft College |
Associate's
|
47 | Taft, California | Public | taftcollege.edu |
| Sacramento City College (SCC) |
Associate's
|
46 | Sacramento, California | Public | scc.losrios.edu |
| San Jose City College (SJCC) |
Associate's
|
46 | San Jose, California | Public | sjcc.edu |
| Skyline College |
Associate's
|
45 | San Bruno, California | Public | skylinecollege.edu |
| Niagara County Community College (SUNY Niagara) |
Associate's
|
44 | Sanborn, New York | Public | niagaracc.suny.edu |
| Southwestern College (SWC) |
Associate's
|
43 | Chula Vista, California | Public | swccd.edu |
| Purdue University (PU) |
Bachelor's
Other Award
|
43 | West Lafayette, Indiana | Public | purdue.edu |
| University of Dallas (UD) |
Master's
|
42 | Irving, Texas | Private | udallas.edu |
| Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) |
Associate's
|
41 | Utica, New York | Public | mvcc.edu |
| Schenectady County Community College (SUNY SCCC) |
Associate's
|
40 | Schenectady, New York | Public | sunysccc.edu |
| Azusa Pacific University (APU) |
Bachelor's
|
37 | Azusa, California | Private | apu.edu |
| Tiffin University (TU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
37 | Tiffin, Ohio | Private | tiffin.edu |
| Barstow Community College (BCC) |
Associate's
|
34 | Barstow, California | Public | barstow.edu |
| Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) |
Associate's
|
34 | Monterey, California | Public | mpc.edu |
| Jamestown Community College (JCC) |
Associate's
|
34 | Jamestown, New York | Public | sunyjcc.edu |
| Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) |
Associate's
|
34 | Hampton, Virginia | Public | vpcc.edu |
| Columbia-Greene Community College (CGCC) |
Associate's
|
32 | Hudson, New York | Public | sunycgcc.edu |
| University of Denver (DU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
31 | Denver, Colorado | Private | du.edu |
| Ohio University (OHIO) |
Associate's
|
31 | Athens, Ohio | Public | ohio.edu |
| University of Washington (UW Tacoma) |
Bachelor's
|
31 | Tacoma, Washington | Public | tacoma.uw.edu |
| Laney College |
Associate's
|
30 | Oakland, California | Public | laney.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
|
30 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| J Sargeant Reynolds Community College |
Associate's
|
30 | Richmond, Virginia | Public | reynolds.edu |
| University of Houston (UHCL) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
29 | Houston, Texas | Public | uhcl.edu |
| Columbia College (CC) |
Associate's
|
28 | Sonora, California | Public | gocolumbia.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Humanities Studies programs
How much can I earn with a Humanities Studies degree?
Salaries for Humanities Studies graduates vary by role and location. Postsecondary Teachers, All Other earn a median of $78,490 annually. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in Hawaii average $135,380 compared to $49,690 in Nevada. Approximately 151,530 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 Humanities Studies programs?
Currently 337 accredited institutions offer Humanities Studies degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Santa Monica College (SMC) (2,535 graduates), Shasta College (1,459 graduates), and San Joaquin Delta College (1,191 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.
Is enrollment in Humanities Studies growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 12,772 in 2010 to a peak of 23,654 in 2020, before declining slightly to 22,307 in 2023-24. This represents a 75% increase overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Humanities Studies degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Postsecondary Teachers, All Other. Related occupations employ approximately 151,530 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.
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