Studies & Degrees in Humanities
Humanities Study Programs
The humanities study human culture: what people have thought, written, made and believed, and how they have lived together. The US National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) describes them as the fields that explore, interpret and preserve the diversity of human cultures, ideas, practices and experiences, past and present. Its list of humanities subjects includes history, literature, linguistics, law, philosophy, archaeology, language, comparative religion and ethics.
"Humanities" is used in two ways. It is the name of a whole group of disciplines, each with its own degree, and it is also the title of a broad degree that combines several of them. Students of such a degree read and analyse texts, images and historical sources, write a great deal and learn at least one foreign language. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) describes its bachelor's degree in Humanities as interdisciplinary training based on history, art, literature, philosophy, classical culture and the social sciences.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degree. In Spain the bachelor's degree (grado) in Humanities has 240 ECTS credits and takes four academic years. The official list of fields of knowledge in Royal Decree 822/2021 groups history, archaeology, geography, philosophy and humanities together. At the Universidad de Navarra the degree has 60 ECTS of basic subjects, 102 compulsory and 60 optional credits, plus 12 credits of work placement and a 6-credit final project, and it offers a specialisation in cultural and heritage management.
- Liberal arts degrees. In the United States the humanities are often studied within a liberal arts education, in which students take courses across several fields before choosing a major such as history, English or philosophy. Lawrence University, for example, is a college of liberal arts and sciences.
- Master's degree. Graduates usually specialise at this level, in one discipline or in an applied area such as cultural management, heritage, publishing or teaching. Spanish official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
- Doctorate. A PhD is the usual route to university teaching and research.
- Distance learning. The subject suits online study because it is based on reading and writing. The UOC degree is taught fully online, in Spanish or Catalan, and is an official degree.
Where to study humanities
SpainExchange lists 331 active schools for humanities. The largest groups are in the United States (108 schools), Spain (34), the United Kingdom (17), Canada (13), Australia (12), France (10) and Germany (9). The list also includes schools in China, Chile and Argentina.
The language of instruction follows the country. In Spain, degrees are taught mainly in Spanish, and in Catalonia also in Catalan; some programmes add subjects in English. The study plan of the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, for instance, includes subjects with English titles such as World Literature and Cultural Geography. Students in Latin America can study in Spanish at schools such as the Universidad de Valparaíso in Chile.
In English-speaking countries the choice is wide, from large research universities such as the University of Michigan and The University of Texas at Austin to smaller colleges. In the United Kingdom, Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge has a faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. When comparing programmes, look at which disciplines the degree covers, how much choice of optional subjects it gives, whether it includes a placement and which languages are required.
Careers
A humanities degree does not lead to one profession. The UOC lists public administration, private companies, cultural institutions and organisations, teaching and research, and content sectors such as communication, criticism, and the creation and publishing of online content as fields where its graduates work. Teaching, publishing, museums, archives, libraries, cultural management and journalism are the traditional destinations, and many graduates add a master's degree to enter them.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) gives an idea of the size of some of these occupations in the United States. It counted 1,087,500 high school teachers in 2025 and projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings each year, mostly to replace people who leave. It counted 140,300 writers and authors, also with little or no change projected. Specialist research jobs are few: there were about 3,800 historians in 2025, and the BLS notes that historians typically need at least a master's degree. These figures apply to the United States only.
Frequently asked questions
What subjects are part of the humanities?
According to the NEH, humanities subjects include history, literature, linguistics, law, philosophy, archaeology, language, comparative religion and ethics. A degree called Humanities combines several of these.
How long does a humanities degree take in Spain?
Four years. The bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits, as at the UOC and the Universidad de Navarra.
Can I study humanities online?
Yes. The UOC in Barcelona teaches its official bachelor's degree in Humanities fully online, in Spanish or Catalan.
What jobs can I get with a humanities degree?
Graduates work in teaching, public administration, cultural institutions, publishing and communication. Research posts such as historian usually require a master's degree or a doctorate.