Categories
Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Dedman College Research

Social Sciences Produce Leaders- Inside Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed
June 1, 2015
By Scott Jaschik

LONDON — Politicians and plenty of parents throughout the world regularly urge students to think practically, and to focus on degrees in technology or business. And colleges and universities around the world are being pressured to focus on disciplines outside the liberal arts and sciences.

But a survey being released today suggests that leaders of a range of organizations internationally (including the United States) are most likely to have a degree in the social sciences, with 44 percent of leaders holding such a credential.

And with another 11 percent reporting that they studied the humanities, a solid majority of 55 percent have degrees in traditional liberal arts fields. (And that doesn’t count smaller numbers who studied liberal arts majors in the physical and biological sciences.)

The study was conducted by the British Council and is being released here at Going Global, the council’s annual international education meeting.

The survey collected information from 1,709 leaders in 30 countries. Leaders were defined as “those who are in a position of influence within their organization and their sectors more broadly.” The leaders were from both the public and private sectors. READ MORE