While humanities doctoral programs tend to focus on training students for tenure track faculty positions, many PhDs pursue jobs outside of a university setting. According to the UC Humanities Research Institute’s recent report, Stories from the Field, more than a quarter of UC humanities doctoral alumni reported that they did not seek a tenure track faculty position when they started their PhD programs, and this percentage increased during the isolation of the dissertation writing process and the challenges of the academic job market. UC humanities PhDs go into a wide range of careers - from positions in the non-profit sector to marketing and communications work and jobs in the tech industry. Stories from the Field considers the economic and professional outcomes of humanities PhDs, to better track where humanists end up, how they apply their expertise, and the ways they are contributing to society. Examining faculty positions alongside other careers, the report promotes a broader definition of what success looks like for humanities PhDs.  

Join us for a conversation with Kelly Anne Brown, Associate Director of UCHRI, and UC Santa Cruz Literature alumni to discuss findings from Stories from the Field and the diverse range of careers that humanities PhDs pursue. Many PhD alumni are eager to keep in touch with graduate program networks as well as support current students and this event provides an opportunity to further those connections. The workshop is being held during Alumni Week to encourage faculty, graduate students, and alumni to all engage in this important discussion and reflection about graduate humanities training at UC Santa Cruz and opportunities beyond. 

The Humanities Institute’s PhD+ workshop on Stories from the Field is co-sponsored by the Literature Department