Arts and Humanities enrolment on the decline at Western University

Fewer undergraduate students are enrolling in the Arts and Humanities (A&H) faculty at Western University in London. Ont. Enrolment has dropped by 28 per cent over the past decade. 

The university says that in the 2020-21 academic year, the A&H faculty had 877 students enrolled. This year, it's down to 853. 

The faculty consists of 16 programs with the most popular being English, Visual Arts, French, and Philosophy. 

On the other hand, the number of students taking these courses as electives -- which are optional to satisfy degree requirements -- has been on a steady increase in the past three years. 

These numbers suggest that while students are interested in studying A&H courses, they don't necessarily pursue degrees in them. Why is that?

Breanna Mifsud is an aspiring teacher who studies English at Western. She says that there's a stigma around A&H graduates not getting well-paying jobs.  

"We're not taught about different jobs you can get with this degree, I was really pushed toward math and sciences in high school, so what I know about the value of my degree is what I researched on my own," she said.

Michael Milde, the Dean of Western's A&H faculty says the degree is invaluable. "It's the study of what we are as human beings in a very deep and profound way, in which we find expressions of our humanity," he said. 

Milde finds the biggest misconception about A&H is that graduates don't get jobs as easily, which according to him, is simply not true. He says career options are limitless, and there are people with such degrees in almost every walk of life.

"There is a deflationary story that students get told in high school about what they can do with arts and humanities and they believe they won't get work," he said.

"Which is very sad because people are sent away from opportunities that will really enhance their satisfaction with what they learn."

Students in the A&H faculty say that a fear of not landing their dream job is a common one, regardless of anyone's majors. 

For some, the skills they learn in university are more important than how much money they make. 

Sarah Tiller is a fourth year, Honours in creative writing. For her, the purpose of post-secondary is not just getting a job, but to just learn.