Last week, Florida’s Senate Appropriations Committee will meet to consider higher education funding. For decades there was a broad consensus that the state university system brings social and economic benefits that are worth the investment. However, some have begun to question whether universities deserve continued support — particularly in humanities subjects like history, philosophy, and religious studies.
The Florida legislature is exploring a plan to defund humanities degrees that provide a broad education rather than vocational training. This follows a strategy pioneered by North Carolina, which has used claims about expected salary to justify cuts to humanities funding. When Indiana announced that it was eliminating roughly 1 in 5 degree programs — largely in the humanities — the state’s governor claimed this was necessary to prepare student for future careers.
As someone who teaches the humanities at Florida State University, I think these cuts misunderstand the skills that employers are looking for, and they misrepresent the purpose of higher education. There is clear evidence that humanities majors have excellent career outcomes. However, the deeper issue is that college is about more than money. Beyond its financial benefits, a humanities education helps to preserve the freedom of our society.
Most of my students have never studied the humanities before, but every semester they tell me that it is profoundly empowering. By learning to interpret material that is profound and unfamiliar, they practice considering new perspectives, forming reasoned judgements, and communicating coherent arguments. As they deepen their ability to think for themselves — critically and creatively — they come to understand human culture more deeply, and they explore its significance for their own lives.
These are skills that employers value. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that unemployment rates are lower for college graduates who majored in philosophy and religious studies than in computer science, engineering, and chemistry. Because a humanities degree is not tailored to a specific employment pathway, it enables graduates to excel in a wide range of careers. In a job market that is rapidly evolving, some business leaders argue that everyone would benefit from the breadth of a humanities education, even future engineers.
Viewed in purely financial terms, studying the humanities provides an excellent return on investment. A major review by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences found that the difference in salary between humanities majors and other fields is generally small. The gap between humanities graduates and those who do not graduate from college is much larger: humanities majors earn 40% more than those with only a high school diploma.
Indiana higher education commissioner Chris Lowery claimed that students “face an overwhelming number of degree programs as they make their educational and career decisions.” In fact, since postgraduate earnings increase when students study their preferred subject, it is economically self-destructive to take this choice away from them. More fundamentally, surveys show that humanities majors are more likely to prioritize their contribution to society rather than maximizing their future salary: it is strange that some legislators want to take this decision away from them.
For centuries, the humanities have flourished because they cultivate freedom. Although this is an ancient tradition, emerging technologies make it more urgent than ever. Propaganda is a perennial threat, but generative AI has made it increasingly difficult to tell true from fake. Since ChatGPT speaks in the neutral voice of universal knowledge, it is tempting to believe whatever it says — offloading the work of forming one’s own opinion. Because no one knows how AI models produce particular responses, this grants authority to a black box that cannot be criticized or assessed.
Since democracy is simply self-rule — the people governing itself — it depends upon an independent citizenry. In my experience as a teacher, the primary aim of the humanities is to train people to make up their own minds. This is the beauty of public universities like Florida State: they give everyone the opportunity to cultivate intellectual freedom.
Again and again, studies have shown that higher education benefits wider society — beyond those who actually receive a degree. In a rapidly-changing world, everyone is better off when our communities include people with the skills to think critically. The humanities deserve public support because they enable all of us to be free.
David Newheiser is an associate professor of religion at Florida State University. This essay was written in his personal capacity and does not represent the official views of his employer.
