Study liberal arts but don’t expect to be as marketable as scientists

Google “MSc AI” and you will see no end of Western universities advertising advanced degrees in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The degrees are fantastically expensive.

At Cardiff University, for example, international students studying a one-year taught MSc in AI have to pay Shs144m. That is only tuition fees. If you factor in living and travel expenses, the total cost comes to Shs180m.

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, blazing a trail in the field of AI, universities are responding to the high demand for AI degrees.

It has become abundantly clear that this technology is poised to drive the next generation of global innovation.  

Professionals whose skills will be in high demand, professionals who want to be part of this global innovation, will be those with a deep understanding of how AI works—and how it can be leveraged to increase productivity and efficiency.

The AI degrees may be expensive, but students investing in them will certainly recoup their investments in a short time. The demand for tech skills — in fact, the demand for graduates of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) — has never been a problem. It is like the demand for food.

In the UK, the median annual salary for AI engineers is £70,000 (Shs345.3m), according to IT Jobswatch. That is higher than what a doctorate holder teaching history or literature at a UK university makes.

Of course, not everyone studying at university is motivated by money. Some students are merely content with knowledge they are seeking. But the truth remains that the job market, which is where most students end up, looks more favourably on STEM graduates.

Liberal arts — think humanities, fine arts and exclude natural sciences and social sciences — are important and are still studied and will continue to be studied. They give us historians, journalists, lawyers, poets, etc. And every country needs them.

But let us put emotion aside and deal with reality. Are there countries introducing visa programmes meant to bring in highly skilled migrants and are prioritising historians? 

The short answer is no. Everywhere you look, you find evidence suggesting that countries have a preference for STEM graduates. I will cite several examples to hammer this point home.

This past April, El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele announced on X that his country would offer “5,000 free passports” (read: citizenship) to highly skilled scientists, engineers, doctors, artists and philosophers from abroad.

The president had artists on his list, but he did not begin with artists; he began with scientists. And the reason is obvious: they are in short supply but in high demand.

From Australia to Canada to Germany, the UAE, the UK, etc, highly skilled individuals with a science/technology background are much sought-after professionals. The UAE introduced a golden residence for scientists with outstanding achievements and influence in their field.

Now consider journalism, my profession. In May 2010, Australia cut the number of “highly valued occupations” from 400 to 181.

Journalism was one of the occupations the government removed. The removal meant that while Australia needs journalists — and its democracy is underpinned by journalism — it does not have a high demand for them.

In Uganda, the government pays science teachers higher salaries than liberal arts teachers. The teachers have complained bitterly about this unfairness. Yet the inescapable fact is science professionals in many places get preferential treatment.

It is okay to study liberal arts. It is okay to study music, dance and drama. And you can even be more successful than a scientist. But always remember: Society places a higher premium on scientists.

Mr Musaazi Namiti is a journalist and former Al Jazeera digital editor in charge of the Africa desk
[email protected]    @kazbuk