UK politicians may steer school-leavers towards STEM courses, but talk of a “crisis” in the humanities is overstated, according to a report by senior leaders at mainly Russell Group universities.
In 2020, UK arts and humanities research activity was 49 per cent higher than the global average, meaning that it “outperformed all other disciplinary research areas in the UK”, while “eight of the ten fastest growing sectors employ more [arts, humanities and social sciences] graduates than other disciplines”, says the report for the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi).
Summarising the review, lead author Marion Thain, executive dean for arts and humanities at King’s College London, described such disciplines as “one of this country’s most distinctive and potent academic strengths”.
Why, then, do some politicians dismiss them as a waste of time?
