“There is an enormous part of the economy hungry for graduates with skills in analysis and communication — skills students are honing as they conduct close readings of texts, persuade their classmates in seminars and hone the style and structure of papers,” Sentz said.

That might not be clear to students, however, or to college leaders.

“Students outside STEM fields often lack the sense that they are gaining discrete, in-demand skills in the course of their studies,” he said. “Consequently, they do not perceive a clear line between their education and the working life for which it laid the foundation.” —Inside Higher Ed