What do humanities graduates do?

Rachel Beauchamp, faculty careers coach (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) at Lancaster University, analyses outcomes for graduates of subjects in the humanities

In recent years, the career prospects of humanities graduates have often been debated, sometimes framed in opposition to more vocational or technical subjects.1 Yet the evidence shows that these degrees foster precisely the skills most needed in a changing world: adaptability, critical analysis, and the ability to communicate and create meaning.2

As workplaces undergo rapid transformation driven by digitalisation, automation, and global disruption, humanities graduates bring strengths in negotiation, ethics, and narrative that are increasingly valued across sectors.3 Far from being marginal, humanities equips graduates to navigate complexity and to connect human knowledge with human capability in ways that technology alone cannot achieve.4

Graduate destinations

Education was the most common destination sector, attracting 22.7% of humanities graduates, far above the average of 12%. Unsurprisingly, publishing and media stood out for English literature graduates at 6.9% compared to 1.5% across all subjects with sectors such as business and finance and retail also proving to be popular with humanities graduates (11.2% and 11.3% respectively).

Across humanities, 68% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that their current work is meaningful and important to them, underscoring the personal fulfilment many find in their career paths.

Employment rates

Some 58% of humanities graduates were employed in professional-level roles, compared with 71.9% across all subjects. More humanities graduates were working in marketing, PR and sales related roles (10.6%) than the average for all subjects (5.4%). There was also strong representation in business, finance and HR (14.1% vs 10.7%) and clerical, secretarial, administrative roles (16.9% vs 8.7%).

Further study

Humanities graduates were significantly more likely than their peers to pursue further study, with 11.7% continuing their education compared with 6.6% across all subjects. Of those continuing into further study 55.1% were studying for a Masters and 23.6% pursued a postgraduate certificate or diploma (including PGCE/PGDE).

Graduate salaries

Overall, earnings for humanities graduates tend to sit just below the all-graduate average. A notable exception is male philosophy graduates, who reported an average salary of £31,466 without further study, compared to £30,031 across all subjects. Gender differences were also visible where men generally out-earned women across disciplines, though English stood out as an exception, where female graduates who pursued significant further study achieved higher average salaries than their male peers.

The data highlighted the varied and rewarding paths humanities graduates take in their careers. While some faced challenges in accessing graduatelevel employment by the survey date, their adaptability across sectors, commitment to further study, and the strong sense of purpose they find in their work underline the enduring value of these degrees.

The breadth of destinations demonstrates that humanities graduates contribute widely across society. As the labour market continues to evolve, the skills fostered through humanities are likely to remain not only relevant but increasingly vital.

Notes

1. Articulating passion: Careerdecision and employability perception among first year Arts, English and Language students, Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 2025.
2. The Value of the Humanities: Understanding the career destinations of Oxford humanities graduates, University of Oxford, 2023.
3. Storycraft: the importance of narrative and narrative skills in business, University of Oxford, 2021.
4. Why Does a Responsible Climate Action AI Need the Arts and Humanities?, The New Real, 2025.

Written by

Rachel Beauchamp

Faculty careers coach (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences)

Lancaster University