ERIC Number: ED251014
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983-Apr
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Comparison of Educational Outcomes for Business and Humanities Majors.
Cavoti, Nicholas J.
Outcomes of college attendance for business and humanities majors were compared. Two assessment instruments developed by the American College Testing Program were used: the College Outcomes Measurement Project (COMP) and the Alumni Survey. For a sample of college seniors from 52 colleges, the COMP tests were used to measure performance in the following six general outcomes areas: communications, problem solving, clarifying values, functioning within social institutions, using science and technology, and using the arts. For the Alumni Survey, 1,959 humanities graduates and 3,164 business graduates were studied. Alumni attitudes were examined as a function of academic major and the number of years since graduation. Pursuit of continuing education by alumni, their career paths, and salaries were also assessed. It was concluded that humanities study develops general skills of value in a wide range of careers, and that the humanities contribute relatively more than business curricula to the development of three critical skills: writing, speaking, and understanding written information. Further, while a humanities major is not a prerequisite for business success, study of humanities disciplines contributes to the development of cognitive skills, social skills, and work habits considered indispensable to today's business environment. (SW)
Descriptors: Alumni, Business Administration Education, Cognitive Processes, College Graduates, Comparative Analysis, Education Work Relationship, Educational Benefits, Graduate Surveys, Higher Education, Humanities, Majors (Students), Outcomes of Education, Student Attitudes, Student Development
Office of National Affairs, Association of American Colleges, 1818 R Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20009.
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, DC.; Association of American Colleges, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at a conference sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and the National Endowment for the Humanities (Princeton, NJ, April 27-29, 1983). For related documents, see HE 017 872-879.