ORONO — Emily Haddad has spent a lot of time talking to parents and students about how to make their liberal arts degrees count.

The new dean at the University of Maine’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is well aware that majoring in history, English or philosophy may be going out of style as students are drawn toward degrees that are seen to yield a higher return on investment, such as chemical engineering or business.

But she says it’s a mistake for people to pursue a field simply because it seems practical.

“Studying something because you think its a good idea, but you don’t like it, is probably counterproductive,” she said. “I think it’s essential that students choose to study a field to which they feel some genuine interest.”

Last month, Maine’s Department of Labor released data showing the average wages graduates of Maine universities and colleges were earning one year out of school.

The bachelor’s degree holders who made the most had engineering, applied technical leadership and nursing degrees, while those who studied the humanities fell much lower on the list.

And in June, the University of Maine announced a list of “signature” and “emerging” areas of study, which included mostly science and engineering fields. The designations “will inform strategic and focused planning and resource allocation to preserve the university’s national stature and impact in Maine,” a statement said. After cutting $9.7 million last year, or about 3.7 percent of its budget, the university is preparing for more cuts this year.

But Haddad pointed out that many programs in her college compliment the designated areas of study. Psychology, for example, will be important to the development of aging research, one of the emerging areas.

“There are also things that we just have to do,” she added. “There’s no signature or emerging area that says we have to teach students how to write. We just have to.”

She said that the first job out of school is important, but in conversations she urges students to think about the lives they want to lead further into the future.

“National data suggest that if you look not at the first job, or second job, but you’re looking eight or 10 years out, students who’ve completed liberal arts education are often doing better,” she said.

A report from the Association of American Colleges and universities that came out in January showed that humanities majors earned an average of $5,000 less than science, mathematics, engineering and technology degree holders right out of college, but the gap narrowed to $2,000 when those graduates reached their 40s.

“Flexibility of mind, curiosity, adaptability, quantitative literacy — those fundamental skills and attitudes can be applied to so many endeavours that their work pays off over time,” Haddad said.

Haddad, who started at  University of Maine in July after working as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of South Dakota, said she has encouraged past students to study what they’re passionate about, but pick a minor or second major that gives them an applicable skill.

Some examples of strategic pairings that she shared are:

— A minor in graphic design could give the art history major a way to develop some concrete, professional skills that complement his or her expertise in visual art.

— Ecology and environmental science could be a good minor for the political science student who wants to work in sustainability or environmental policy. In this instance, the benefit isn’t an applied or practical skill but rather some scientific background that would add depth and another area of expertise to the policy focus.

— Minors in computer science or statistics would complement a number of social science majors.

— Language minors are helpful for students who want to work either in international contexts or domestically with populations that use languages other than English. For example, a psychology student who hopes to work with youth populations in an urban setting could get a leg up by having a Spanish minor.

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