A study carried out by Oxford University in the UK has shown that Arts-based degrees are of vital importance to society, the economy and to the graduates who hold these qualifications, despite the fact that ‘the need to demonstrate the impact and value of Humanities higher education to society and the economy has intensified during the recent period of economic crisis’. A similar report was published in 2010 by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), which sheds light on the importance of Arts degrees within an Irish context. Both reports show similar general trends in the careers of humanities graduates.
The report carried out by Oxford University is based on data acquired from surveying 11,000 humanities alumni from Oxford University. It surveyed the career patterns of the alumni over a significant period of time (1960 –1989), encompassing all kinds of economic trends), displaying the long term career achievements of the alumni, rather than relying on data acquired six months after graduation: ‘The length of the period and the time elapsed since their graduation allows for a better understanding of employment trends than immediate graduate destination surveys do’. The report shows that investing in AHSS is worthwhile due to the social and economic contributions made by the graduates in this field. According to their research, 80% of graduates found careers in the following five sectors: education, media, law, finance and management.
The report carried out by the HEA and IRCHSS also draws attention to the important role arts, humanities and social sciences play in the Irish economy, both directly and indirectly.
Both the HEA and IRCHSS report and the Oxford report draw attention to the fact that many humanities graduates go on to work in the law, finance and education sectors, contributing extensively to the development of society and the economy.
*http://gradireland.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/not-all-doom-and-gloom-the-benefits-of-an-arts-degree/
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