The State of the Humanities: Higher Education 2015
Number of Postsecondary Faculty Teaching in Selected Academic Fields, 1999–2012
![Number of Postsecondary Faculty Teaching in Selected Academic Fields, 1999–2012 Number of Postsecondary Faculty Teaching in Selected Academic Fields, 1999–2012](/sites/default/files/styles/article_image_1x/public/media/images/HigherEd2015-14.png.webp?itok=AAtBN07c)
From 1999 to 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the total number of humanities faculty members teaching in higher education increased by 51% at two- and four-year colleges. This compares to an increase of approximately 40% in overall enrollment in those institutions over the same span.
Although the number of humanities faculty members increased over the 2000s, similar growth occurred across most fields. As a result, the proportion of all college and university faculty members who taught in humanities disciplines changed little, hovering between 11% and 12% from 2004 to 2012.