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Humanities professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a humanities professor. Humanities professors usually study english, liberal arts, or business. 43% of humanities professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 37% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 146 real humanities professor resumes to see exactly what humanities professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for humanities professors are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online humanities professor courses to help get the education required to be a humanities professor.

What education do you need to become a humanities professor?

What degree do you need to be a humanities professor?

The most common degree for humanities professors is bachelor's degree, with 43% of humanities professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 37% and master's degree degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Master's, 37%
  • Doctorate, 13%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a humanities professor?

You should major in english to become a humanities professor. 17% of humanities professors major in english. Other common majors for a humanities professor include liberal arts and business.

Most common colleges for humanities professors

Humanities professors often get their degrees at New York University, University of Phoenix, and Cameron University. Here are the most common colleges for humanities professors in the US based on their resumes.
Humanities professor common collegePercentages
New York University10.53%
University of Phoenix7.89%
Cameron University5.26%
Indiana University Bloomington5.26%
Kenyon College5.26%

Best majors for humanities professors

RankMajorPercentages
1English17.2%
2Liberal Arts10.3%
3Business9.2%
4Education8.0%
5Psychology6.9%

Best colleges for humanities professors

The best colleges for humanities professors are University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Vanderbilt University.

A humanities professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for humanities professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become humanities professors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

4. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

7. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for humanities professors

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1. A Brief History of Human Spaceflight

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This course provides a view of the history of spaceflight, from early writings telling of human's fascination of space through the early Russian and American space stations. Developed as an interesting and entertaining slice of space history that is accessible to anyone with an interest in human spaceflight...

2. Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics

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Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language! The Miracles of Human Language introduces you to the many-faceted study of languages, which has amazed humans since the beginning of history...

3. Art History Prehistory to the Renaissance

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4.4
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This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...

4. Master Course in Human Resources 2.0

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4.3
(312)

Strategic human resource management, strategic planning, recruiting, training, HR management,Labour welfare...

5. Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities

coursera

Explore the history, culture and society of the people of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present in this introductory course developed by the Ukrainian Institute, educational studio EdEra, and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and offered on Coursera in cooperation with the University of Washington. The culture and identities of Ukrainian people have existed in this region for more than a thousand years. Like most Eastern European countries, Ukraine is a rather young country —...

6. The Holocaust - An Introduction (II): The Final Solution

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The Holocaust was an inconceivable historical event, which forever robbed Western culture of its innocence. As civilized human beings, we fail to understand how events of such horror could have taken place, and how an idea so inhumanly warped could have spread like wildfire through an entire continent, instigating the systematic annihilation of millions of Jews. This free online course was produced jointly by Tel Aviv University and Yad Vashem – the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. This...

7. HR,HR Analytics, Human Resource Management, Black Friday Ed

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4.6
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HR Analytics ,HR Courses, human resource management, ,HR certification, HRM, hr payroll, people management, 2022...

8. Art History Renaissance to 20th Century

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4.6
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This is an actual college level course that is taught at several accredited colleges...

9. Social and Economic Networks: Models and Analysis

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Learn how to model social and economic networks and their impact on human behavior. How do networks form, why do they exhibit certain patterns, and how does their structure impact diffusion, learning, and other behaviors? We will bring together models and techniques from economics, sociology, math, physics, statistics and computer science to answer these questions. The course begins with some empirical background on social and economic networks, and an overview of concepts used to describe and...

10. Introduction to Korean Philosophy and Culture

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This course will give you the cultural and historical background to begin your journey into Korean philosophy, and there is no prerequisite knowledge on philosophy required. Anybody who either has an interest in Korean culture, maybe through K-Dramas or K-pop, or an interest in philosophy from a cross-cultural perspective, are all welcome. Despite the growing interest in Korean culture, there are few courses which explore the fascinating topic of Korean philosophy. On this course, you’ll be...

11. Certification Course in Human Resource Management

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4.3
(1,337)

Curriculum commensurate to Top B School's Management Program : with downloadable resources, quiz, assessments & exercise...

12. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources

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4.4
(1,449)

Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...

13. Customer Centricity with Professor Jagdish Sheth

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This is a master class in Customer Centricity. Professor Jagdish Sheth, 2020 Padma Bhushan Award winner for Literature and Education, guides you through proven strategies and practical steps for implementing customer centricity practices into your business. Professor Sheth shares wisdom and insight from decades of experience, years of research, and recommendations from multiple senior industry leaders to help grow your business and cut costs by keeping the customers you have by creating a...

14. Introduction to Economic Theories

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Wondering why economists have not predicted serious financial crises? Shocked by economic assumptions of human behavior as self-centered and focusing only on what can be measured? Asking yourself if there are no sensible economic alternatives to free markets? Then you are at the right place to learn economics! This is the first online course that teaches economics from a pluralist perspective. Economic pluralism means that a plurality of theoretical and methodological viewpoints is regarded as...

15. English Literature: Be as Informed as a Literature Graduate

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4.5
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The development of English Literature from its earliest texts to the present day...

16. Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors

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What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximines made bold proposals about the ultimate constituents of reality, while Heraclitus insisted that there is...

17. Philosophy, Science and Religion: Religion and Science

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Philosophy, Science and Religion mark three of the most fundamental modes of thinking about the world and our place in it. Are these modes incompatible? Put another way: is the intellectually responsible thing to do to ‘pick sides’ and identify with one of these approaches at the exclusion of others? Or, are they complementary or mutually supportive? As is typical of questions of such magnitude, the devil is in the details. For example, it is important to work out what is really distinctive...

18. ART of the MOOC: Activism and Social Movements

coursera

This course is for activists, artists, and thinkers who wish to better understand and participate in social change. We will focus on the prolific and exciting overlap between socially engaged art and cultural practices generated by recent social movements around the world. Rather than assess the political efficacy of activities like mourning, listening, organizing, dancing, or partying, the lectures examine such cultural activities next to, and within, contemporary art practice. Included in the...

19. Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors

coursera

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximines made bold proposals about the ultimate constituents of reality, while Heraclitus insisted that there is...

20. Activism in Sports and Culture

coursera

Sports have become an ever-present reflection of American culture, and an important symbol of the divisions and alliances in our society. Sports and political change walk hand in hand in America. The way that athletes and institutions deal with questions of race, economic hardship, nationalism, and political ties have become central to the way that we understand ourselves and our society. And yet, there are those who would prefer their sports free of controversy and opinion. Dedicated athletes,...

Top 10 most affordable universities for humanities professors

The most affordable schools for humanities professors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, queens college of the city university of new york, and florida state university.

If the best universities for humanities professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for humanities professors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for humanities professors

The hardest universities for humanities professors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for humanities professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for humanities professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for humanities professors

The easiest schools for humanities professors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, felician university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a humanities professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for humanities professors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

10. Albertus Magnus College

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

58%

SAT average

931

Average humanities professor salary by education level

According to our data, humanities professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $106,407 annually. Humanities professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $82,807.
Humanities professor education levelHumanities professor salary
Master's Degree$82,807
Doctorate Degree$106,407

Humanities professor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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