Humanities vs Social Science. Which Degree to Study in 2022?;- Are you prepared to study abroad but are having trouble deciding between humanities and social sciences? You’re not the only one who doesn’t fully understand how these two fields differ from one another. Problems are brought on by the similar focus of the two fields.
Humanities vs Social Science. Which Degree to Study in 2022?
Understanding the various methods used by social science and the humanities is crucial. And that’s what we’ll discuss in this article along with other important details.
Humanities vs Social Science – What’s the difference?
Humans and our evolution and behavior in social and cultural environments are the same subject of both humanities and social sciences. That’s fantastic, but What distinguishes them?
The humanities employ an analytical and critical methodology. The subjective study of people, their history, culture, and civilizations is known as the humanities. You won’t need to do any scientific research to earn a Humanities degree.
An empirically based, scientific methodology is used in social science. The objective study of humanity’s past, present, and future is called social science (based on trends and predictions). You will perform scientific inquiry while pursuing a degree in social science because all conclusions are supported by empirical evidence.
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Universities we recommend for Humanities degrees
- US institution: West Texas A&M University
- Canadian university of Northern British Columbia
- UK’s SOAS University in London
- Dutch university Radboud University
- Italian University of Padua
Universities we recommend for Social Science degrees
- US-based Portland State University
- United Kingdom’s University College London (UCL)
- Netherlands’ Erasmus University in Rotterdam
- German Hertie School
- Belgium’s KU Leuven
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Humanities vs Social Science specialisations
Social science and humanities both have several subfields. We’ve included a few of them below to help you get started, but there are other specializations available as well:
Humanities specialisations
- History
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Languages
- Studies in Religion
Social Science specialisations
- Anthropology
- Economics
- The study of politics
- Psychology
- Sociology
Humanities vs Social Science classes
Depending on your area of study for a Humanities or Social Science degree, you’ll take different coursework. Although the curriculum won’t be the same for every study program or university, we’ll mention a few courses as examples.
Humanities classes
- World history, Roman history, medieval history, etc. are all examples of history.
- Philosophy includes topics like human rights, metaphysics, and epistemology.
- Literature includes works from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, modern fiction, etc.
- Languages: Cultural Translation, Speech Analysis, Applied Modern Languages, etc.
- Religious Studies: Foundations of Worship, Sacred Texts, and Interreligious Studies, etc.
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Social Science classes
- Social theory, writing cultures, social and cultural theory, etc. are all examples of anthropology.
- Statistics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, economic methods, etc. are all aspects of economics.
- Political science includes topics like conflict and power, political theory, and comparative politics.
- Psychology: theories of personality, cognitive psychology, and ethics in psychology, etc.
- Quantitative and qualitative methods, social research techniques, etc. in sociology.
Top universities where you can study Humanities or Social Science
The top institutions and colleges for Humanities and Social Science studies are listed below, based on factors including academic reputation, employer reputation, and citations per published paper:
Best Humanities universities
- UK’s University of Oxford
- US university Harvard
- UK’s University of Cambridge
- Berkeley, California’s University of California (UCB)
- US university Stanford
- American Yale University
- US-based New York University
- United States’ University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- US university Princeton
- US Columbia University
Best Social Science universities
- United States’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- UK’s University of Oxford
- US university Stanford
- US university Harvard
- the US, UCB
- UK’s University of Cambridge
- US university Princeton
- the United Kingdom’s London School of Economics and Political Science
- US-based University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
- University of Yale
View the whole Social Science ranking that Times Higher Education has produced.
These are obviously just a few instances. Please feel free to check out other rankings and top-ranked universities:
Best colleges for the humanities and arts, per US News
According to Niche, the top universities in the US for humanities and social sciences
Skills you’ll develop with a Humanities or Social Science degree
Once more, the knowledge and skills you gain will depend on — you guessed it — the subdiscipline you select. Depending on which one you select, you could learn how to:
- Data synthesis and analysis
- Creation of summaries, reports, and elaborate presentations
- Effective and unambiguous communication (oral and written)
- Critical and inventive thinking
- Performance assessment and feedback exchange
- Quantitative and empirical reasoning
- Managing your time, assigning duties, and delegating
Humanities vs Social Science jobs and salaries
Despite what some may argue, both social science and the humanities give opportunities to fulfilling careers with competitive pay.
The soft skills you acquire in the classroom are valued and in demand in all professions; add digital know-how and in-depth knowledge of your chosen field to that, and you have a potent combination.
Here are just a few of the careers that Humanities and Social Science graduates find most appealing. We’ve also provided US average salaries based on data from PayScale:
Humanities jobs and salaries
- 52,830 USD a year as a copywriter
- Specialist in Public Relations (PR) – 49,500 USD annually
- Journalist: $40,800 annually
- Specialist in Human Resources (HR) – 51,510 USD annually
- Higher education professor salary: 88,500 USD
Social Science jobs and salaries
- 55,990 USD per year for political scientists
- Economist: 77,300 USD annually
- Sociologist: $56,050 annually
- 78,240 USD per year for a psychologist
- 52,130 USD per year for anthropologists
Conclusions
Humanities and social sciences both investigate how people, their cultures, and societies function. Humanities, on the other hand, take a subjective, critical-thinking, or opinion-based approach. Research and scientific evidence are the foundation of the social science’s objective methodology.
Some specializations, like archaeology or linguistics, may belong under either the social sciences or humanities umbrella due to the overlap between these fields.
Contrary to common perceptions, graduates can pursue successful employment in a variety of fields by utilizing the soft skills they learn in humanities classes.
You must have an authentic passion and interest for our species, behavior, and society as a whole in order to succeed in either discipline.
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