Dramatically fewer University of Wisconsin System students are pursuing degrees in the humanities — including English, history and the arts — than a decade ago. Meanwhile, degrees in computer science, business and engineering have soared, according to UW System data reviewed by the Badger Institute. Comparing 2014-15 to 2024-25, the number of UW System students earning bachelor’s degrees in English was down 39.2 percent, from 673 a decade ago to 409 last year. UW System degrees awarded in computer and information sciences were up 80 percent, 1,653 awarded last year compared to 918 a decade ago, according to system data. We lose out on our sense of ethics, our sense of creativity, our sense of curiosity, our sense of discovery.