Since AI eroded the number of jobs previously available to new graduates, the news is full of stories covering the relevance of college degrees, with the humanities taking a big hit. However, in a turnaround, the skills typically stressed in the humanities are getting some positive press with reporting a potential trend: Students are increasingly switching to majors that stress skills taught in the humanities.
Some colleges have responded to the call. The Public and Applied Humanities program at the University of Arizona is one such program. Professor Matthew Mars, who heads the department and was interviewed for a recent Forbes article said, “We really believe that the humanities [skills] equal jobs.”
One success story is the Air Force veteran who combined the new AU Applied Humanities degree with a concentration in Business Administration and another degree in Creative Intelligence. He did so because he saw that AI increasingly handled technical work and realized that the human side of business would become more and more valuable. To add to his skill set, he saw he needed to learn the human capabilities taught in the program.
UC Berkeley is taking a different tack to instill the skills attained through humanistic studies. While preserving traditional academic disciplines within the Arts & Humanities Division, Berkeley has taken huge steps to more visibly connect those disciplines with careers. To do so, the university has added 50 new faculty, updated courses, actively marketed humanities majors, expanded career services, and grown its internship assistance. Students are encouraged to combine humanities degrees with other areas of focus in addition to obtaining the practical experience that comes from internships. The idea is that this combination will lead to greater employability.
All of this sudden attention to the humanities after decades of neglect is actually good news for our discipline as well. Business communication instructors should feel confident in the relevance of our subject because our curriculum already addresses the human skills AI has yet to excel at, such as the following:
- collaborating in teams
- communicating verbally and in writing
- framing problems
- interpreting information
- making informed judgments
- thinking critically
- understanding people and cultures
As we move toward a new semester, we should pay attention to the knowledge and skills our students will require in the future. Any time we can emphasize or integrate the above abilities into our courses and assignments, we are preparing our students for success in the workforce for generations to come.
Sources:
Borchers, C. (2026, Sept. 10). Want to succeed in an AI world? Study Anthropology. The Wall Street Journal. www.wsj.com
Chambers, L. (2026, Sept. 21). Move over STEM. Humanities degrees are poised for a comeback. Forbes. www.forbes.com
