Majority of Arts and Humanities Students Receive Professor Support [Survey]

Undergraduates majoring in arts and humanities are most likely to get strong support from their mentors and professors, a new Gallup study shows.

Based on a Strada-Gallup survey of 32,000 undergraduates at 43 randomly selected universities, 22 percent of arts and humanities students strongly agreed that their professors care about them as person, that their mentors encourage them to pursue their goals and dreams, and that at least one professor makes them excited about learning.

Only 15 percent of social science majors, 13 percent of business majors, and 12 percent of science and engineering majors could say the same.

The numbers vary along racial lines as well. According to the survey data, 15 percent of whites, 14 percent of Hispanics, 12 percent of Blacks, and only 11 percent of Asians strongly agreed with all the three items.

“The more pronounced differences in arts and humanities departments suggest greater attention should be paid to helping black students in those fields feel supported,” the study says. “For many at-risk students, supportive relationships with professors and mentors may make the difference in terms of motivation and persistence.”

Last year in a similar study, Strada-Gallup found that 64 percent of students who graduated between 2013 and 2018 were mentored by a professor.

The 2018 study also found that 43 percent of students said they were mentored by a professor teaching art and humanities at the college, 28 percent were mentored by a science and engineering professor, and another 20 percent were mentored by a social science professor.