by our College Data Analytics TeamA major in Medical/Health Humanities covers A Program That Explores The Ethical, Historical, Literary, Philosophical, And Religious Dimensions Of Medicine Or Health. Includes Instruction In Art, Cultural Studies, Economics, Ethics, History, Literature, Medical Anthropology, Philosophy, Religion And Spiritual Thought, Science And Technology, Visual Art, And Writing. Examples: [Narrative Medicine]. Continue reading for the key facts every medical/health humanities student should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering medical/health humanities programs.
Nationwide, medical/health humanities is a popular field of study, with 352 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Medical/Health Humanities Schools ranking analyzes these 29 schools to determine the best overall colleges for medical/health humanities students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of medical/health humanities programs later in this article.
Studies in Medical/Health Humanities emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations medical/health humanities graduates commonly enter.
The skill set built by a medical/health humanities program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Based on O*NET data, a medical/health humanities major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several medical/health humanities degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 261 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 85 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 6 |
People currently working in careers related to medical/health humanities tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 38.6% |
| Doctoral degree | 29.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 21.2% |
| Post-doctoral training | 5.3% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 2.1% |
| Some college courses | 2.0% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 0.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.2% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 0.1% |
View the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in medical/health humanities careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Majoring in medical/health humanities opens doors to a variety of career paths. These are some of the most common occupations related to medical/health humanities.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to medical/health humanities.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other | 1,421,275 | 11.1% |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 964,215 | -0.1% |
| Sociologists | 143,776 | 3.0% |
| Historians | 66,368 | -1.5% |
| Transportation Planners | 43,539 | 4.1% |
| Geographers | 41,950 | 10.6% |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 24,588 | 6.1% |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | 12,925 | 12.9% |
Federal data tracks median earnings of medical/health humanities graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $91,596 |
| 4 years | $89,352 |
| 5 years | $98,782 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for medical/health humanities graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers medical/health humanities grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Historians | $89,780 |
| Geographers | $77,391 |
| Sociologists | $74,866 |
| Anthropologists and Archeologists | $72,345 |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $68,967 |
| Transportation Planners | $50,855 |
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other | $47,617 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | $42,168 |
With 29 different medical/health humanities programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased medical/health humanities school rankings to help you.
If you are interested in medical/health humanities, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing Education | 3,933 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 757 |
| Health Professions Education | 102 |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities, Other | 101 |
| Arts in Medicine/Health | 5 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
