As the name suggests, the humanities investigate humanity itself, including our human past, culture, and values. Courses in the humanities advance students’ research, writing, and critical thinking skills in order to investigate common issues, ideas, and challenges throughout human history. In comparison to the social sciences, fields such as English, foreign languages, history, and philosophy focus more on qualitative than quantitative analysis. As humanities majors are typically encouraged to make interdisciplinary connections, they then proceed to a variety of academic and professional fields, including working as translators, copy editors, public relations specialists, researchers, historians, as well as curators and museum workers.
Undergraduate Humanities Schools in the US
Highly Competitive Humanities Schools
- NYU
- Pomona College
- Brown University
- Vanderbilt University
- University of Chicago
Recommended SAT score for international applicants: 1500+
Recommended ACT score for international applicants: 35+
Recommended grades: IB – 40+ | A Levels – All As | American system GPA – 3.9+
Competitive Humanities Schools
- University of Texas, Austin
- Hamilton College
- Boston University
- Bowdoin College
- Tulane University
Recommended SAT score for international applicants: 1300+
Recommended ACT score for international applicants: 30+
Recommended grades: IB – 35+ | A Levels – Mix of As, B+ | American system GPA – 3.5+/-
Less Competitive Humanities Schools
- Fordham University
- Hendrix College
- Loyola University Maryland
- Purdue University
- Michigan State University
Recommended SAT score for international applicants: Average of 950-1150
Recommended ACT score for international applicants: 25+
Recommended grades: IB – 32+/- | A Levels – Mix of high A-,Bs, and Cs | American system GPA – 2.75+/-
