by our College Data Analytics TeamStudying Digital Humanities explores A Program That Focuses On The Use Of New Technologies, Advanced Computing, And Public Engagement To Investigate And Analyze Questions In The Humanities. Includes Instruction In Anthropology, Art, Data Mining And Machine Learning, Design, Digital Archives, Geospatial Technologies, History, Human-Computer Interface Design, Literature, Markup Languages, Social Media Technologies, And Software Development. Continue reading for the key facts every digital humanities major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering digital humanities programs.
Across the country, digital humanities draws strong interest, with 126 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Digital Humanities Schools ranking analyzes these 14 schools to determine the best overall colleges for digital humanities students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of digital humanities programs later in this article.
Programs in Digital Humanities develop a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations digital humanities graduates commonly enter.
Skills emphasized by a digital humanities program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a digital humanities major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several digital humanities degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 25 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 28 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 73 |
People currently working in careers related to digital humanities tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 41.3% |
| Doctoral degree | 28.8% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 14.8% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 3.5% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 2.3% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 2.1% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 1.9% |
| Some college courses | 1.6% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 1.4% |
| Post-doctoral training | 1.1% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 0.9% |
| First professional degree | 0.1% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in digital humanities careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Majoring in digital humanities opens doors to numerous career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to digital humanities.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to digital humanities.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Curators | 1,554,871 | 4.1% |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,273,615 | 14.3% |
| Archivists | 1,193,221 | 1.6% |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 964,215 | -0.1% |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 718,152 | 6.5% |
| Managers, All Other | 468,025 | 6.2% |
| Compliance Managers | 310,203 | 13.0% |
| Loss Prevention Managers | 265,210 | 2.2% |
Salaries for digital humanities graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers digital humanities grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Wind Energy Development Managers | $169,952 |
| Loss Prevention Managers | $165,723 |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | $122,567 |
| Compliance Managers | $117,178 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | $99,321 |
| Managers, All Other | $95,684 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $88,437 |
| Curators | $79,764 |
With 14 different digital humanities programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased digital humanities school rankings to help you.
Those considering digital humanities, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, Other | 2 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
