Document Type

Honors Thesis

Major

English

Advisor(s)

Michael Socolow

Committee Members

Kathleen Gillon, Robert Glover

Graduation Year

May, 2025

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

This study explores how three U.S. newspapers— The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Bangor Daily News— reported on STEM and humanities curricula at American universities from 2014 to 2024. Using an inductive approach, this thesis analyzed the framing of articles about the competition of STEM and humanities degrees. Six themes emerged from the analysis: careers and salary, interdisciplinary curriculum and pedagogy, public good, hard and soft skills, university and enrollment, and university history and tradition. The thematic analysis concluded that a majority of the STEM versus humanities discussion centered around competitive values, with a primary emphasis on monetary return and job market prospects for the individual and meeting labor needs and encouraging innovation for the good of society, and these factors trump individual interest when deciding on college majors in education reporting. This thesis concludes that reporting that does not place these curricula in competition, but, rather, emphasizes alignment with student interest, would be more effective for the public.

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