Employment Focused Degrees

Some American universities are changing the way they deliver traditional programs to help students find employment after graduation. Instead of ‘Medieval History’ students at California State University, East Bay are studying the history of migration or urban design.

“If you think about history you think it’s about different time periods but history here has thought about it in three different content areas not time periods.” It’s helping students connect the dots between degrees in the humanities and social sciences and job opportunities after graduation.

Wendy Ng, Ph.D. is Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at Cal State East Bay in San Francisco, California.

This interview was recorded at the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences Annual Meeting in San Deigo in November 2023 by Executive Director Jane Ryan. DASSH warmly thanks the US Deans’ Council for its generosity and ongoing friendship.