Distribution of Graduate Humanities Degree Holders across Employment Sectors, by Level of Highest Degree, 2019

Distribution of Graduate Humanities Degree Holders across Employment Sectors, by Level of Highest Degree, 2019

Viewed by the sector in which they are employed, recipients of master’s and doctoral degrees look rather different, but academic employment was significant for both of them. As of 2019, approximately 20% of employed terminal master’s degree recipients from the humanities and 70% of doctoral degree recipients worked in higher education. Industry/business was also a substantial employer of those with terminal master’s degrees in the humanities (with 45% of degree recipients in that sector). Approximately a tenth of humanities PhDs were employed in this sector, with a similar share working in government.13

Endnotes

• 13Ibid. Jobs in “academia” are those in higher education. K–12 education jobs are included in the “government” category.