Innovation in the humanities: Why modern employers are turning to arts graduates to set them apart from the crowd

Studying humanities-based subjects is a thoroughly innovative and modern career choice for students. Mixing experiential learning with cross-cultural subject matter in a liberal arts setting, students are offered a transformative approach to teaching, inviting them to question and develop new theories based on age-old literature and intellectual thought.

Humanities graduates are articulate, innovative and have excellent communication skills – meaning they are in increasing demand from employers. While undergraduate historians or philosophers might not be considering a career in business and technology, the skills and knowledge that humanities students acquire will set them streaks ahead of their science-based peers.

“The humanities describe the ascent of the modern world. Countries worldwide can use the humanities to develop or revive the economies that drove this ascent, while helping individuals to lead more productive and fulfilling lives,” said Edmund Phelps, a Nobel laureate in economics, in an article published on weforum.org.

Choosing to study humanities, he argues, will help students change the world around us, producing productive and proactive individuals who are ready to take on a whole variety of challenges. Rather than being highly skilled in a specific area, humanities grads are sought after because of their innovative attitude and ability to overcome a variety of obstacles and situations which the business world may throw at them. Liberal arts graduates are vital for the success of large businesses, thanks to their open attitude, flexible mindset and willingness to take on new challenges and learn new skills.

In 2010 Apple co-founder Steve Jobs said that technology needs the arts in order to be “brilliant”.

“It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough,” he said. “It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing.” Humanities graduates are creative people with the ability to think critically, a talent that can transform the ordinary into something special.

Students looking to complete a course in the humanities can expect exciting and forward-thinking teaching in combination with workshops, seminars and collective improvisations. Students are encouraged to explore more transformative approaches, often making heightened use of webinars or IT in combination with more classics-based theory.

Institutions are also increasingly expanding their choice of courses and specialisms available for students, including postmodernism, art and psychoanalysis, and even social violence in literature. From Freud to Foucault and even Shakespeare, humanities students can also choose to combine their major with a different subject area, or they may prefer to remain in the humanities and explore other creative outlets – such as learning a new language or completing a research project within a different school.

For students looking to study within a subject area no longer confined to purely the classroom or the library, then humanities is an innovative and dynamic choice. Combining classical academia with a modern twist, humanities students can also rest assured that they will be in demand upon graduation.

Read on to find out more about leading universities that offer a thoroughly modern and innovative education in the humanities:

WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES & COMMUNICATION ARTS – AUSTRALIA
Ranked amongst the top 3 percent of universities across the world, Western Sydney University offers a world of unlimited opportunities for students with talent, drive, confidence and ambition. The WSU School of Humanities and Communication Arts offers a wide range of exciting programmes in a variety of challenging and vibrant study areas. Students will explore cultural ideas and concepts, using scholarship and research to devise new answers and innovative concepts. Students will explore and develop their capabilities, ensuring success in today’s changing work environment. WSU courses bring together arts, communication, design, new media, music, media production, journalism, public relations and advertising. WSU offers outstanding teaching and resources in one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.

HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION – HONG KONG
Since its founding in 1968, the School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University has provided the only comprehensive range of programmes in communication available in Hong Kong at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The school maintains close ties with Hong Kong’s media and creative industries. These relations provide ongoing expertise and aid to current students in addition to offering networking opportunities for alumni. The school offers undergraduate students a range of majors including journalism, public relations and advertising and film and media arts. At Hong Kong Baptist, students will form part of a vibrant, multinational community in which they are supported and encouraged to pursue their interests and career goals.

CURTIN UNIVERSITY, FACULY OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES – AUSTRALIA
Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, focuses on providing its students with globally relevant humanities qualifications that value sustainability and focus on local community development. At Curtin, students will approach research and projects with a thoroughly digital approach, providing them with the tools and support to address modern and relevant questions. The university offers its students a flexible approach to learning – to suit and meet with student needs. From education to architecture, from graphic design to professional writing, students will make a marked impact on the world with a humanities degree from Curtin.

MASSEY UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES – NEW ZEALAND
At Massey University, students from all backgrounds and walks of life are united in a secure and warm campus setting. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is a vibrant place for students to delve into the past and its traditions, as well as offering them a chance to springboard into the future and its new possibilities. Located in stunning New Zealand, students will be provided with the opportunity to study and enrol in a wide range of course options, questioning the construct and basis on which modern society is built today.

TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES – CANADA
Trinity Western’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences provides students with a space in which to develop and construct new arguments and concepts. Courses teach students the role of humanities while challenging them to discover questions concerning human society. Students will be encouraged to analyse beliefs, ideals and values in addition to combining their studies with a minor in an additional subject area such as modern languages, Christianity or philosophy. At TWU, students are offered a modern and innovative Christian education located over acres of beautiful campus space. Students will soon fit into a vibrant campus where faith and community spirit come first.

WARWICK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS – UNITED KINGDOM
The Faculty of Arts at Warwick University is one of the world’s top 50 Arts and Humanities faculties, home to a number of departments and research centres spanning the Arts and Humanities subject areas. At Warwick, students will have access to state-of-the-art facilities located in a leafy campus setting. Students can choose from a huge range of subject areas and are encouraged to pursue research and explore the arts in-depth under the guidance of the university’s world-class teaching and research staff. Students will form part of a vibrant student community – the ideal setting in which to explore and share their ideas with their peers.

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