High degree of success in humanities

A high proportion of successful leaders in the UK have a degree in a humanities subject, new research has found.

The study found that around 60 per cent of people at the top of their professions studied arts, broad humanities or social sciences at university.

Carried out on behalf of the newly launched New College of the Humanities, the survey, which questioned leading individuals across different sectors including CEOs of FTSE 100 firms, top creative industries and MPs, found only 15 per cent studied STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.

The group with the smallest proportion of graduates in arts, humanities and social sciences was vice chancellors of Russell Group universities, where two thirds came from STEM backgrounds.