Forbes Daily Briefing
Move Over STEM. Humanities Degrees Are Poised For A Comeback Thanks To AI.
Both humanities’ decline and possible revival can, no surprise, be traced to concerns about career and financial security. For a time, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors had the golden ticket. Now some engineering specialties (including computer engineering) have seen a sharp decline in entry-level jobs, as artificial intelligence reduces the demand for junior workers in their fields. At the same time, those graduating with English and some other humanities degrees are finding that their versatile skills make it easier to get hired, even if they do still earn less than the engineers. The emerging conventional wisdom: In the age of AI, human skills such as creativity, communication and collaboration could provide a crucial professional edge, whatever the field. “We really believe that the humanities equal jobs,” says Matthew Mars, head of the University of Arizona’s 8-year-old Public and Applied Humanities program, which as of last spring had more than 400 majors. Students like Crider combine an applied humanities core with courses ranging from business and entrepreneurship to fashion studies and, most recently, astrobiology. They also complete a three-course career sequence with internship preparation, an internship and a course to help them explain what they’ve learned to prospective employers. Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisachambers/2026/09/21/move-over-stem-humanities-degrees-are-poised-for-a-comeback-thanks-to-ai/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
