Graduate School In The Humanities Just Don T Go Analysis

Thomas Benton argues that it is disadvantageous to attend graduate school in the humanities in his article “Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go.” He believes graduate school is not efficient for humanities majors in particular because “less than half of all doctorate holders…will even find tenure-track positions” (Benton, “Just Don’t Go”). This rough statistic provides a context he believes students – both graduate and undergraduate – do not consider. There are more students graduating with Master’s and PhD’s than there are tenure-track positions due to graduates teaching courses that were previously taught by faculty. Benton iterates that there are still tenure-track positions available, but the competitive nature of the profession …show more content…
The overarching theme of those reasons was the students’ inability and unpreparedness for change. The shift from institutional living to the “real” world can be a harsh one, and he understands the students who feel safer and more encouraged in their academic environment. Benton comments on students being “flattered” that they were accepted into graduate programs, and that they then feel obligated to attend the graduate school, even if they bury themselves in debt as a result. Benton touches more on the cost aspect of graduate school when he lists the few reasons he could see someone reasonably considering going to college in the humanities. In one way or another, all his reasons are based in the idea that said person has access to money – through independent wealth, a partner with a providing income, or a relevant job – as a means to survive outside of graduate school. Anyone else, he considers, is taking a huge risk because there is no guarantee they will receive any sort of job after they graduate (Benton). Benton believes students need to be disillusioned of the glamour of graduate school for the