Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Offered at 2,940 college programs that reported results. Here is what graduates earn and owe at each credential level, and which programs pay best.
By credential level
| Credential | Programs | Typical earnings, 1 yr | Typical earnings, 5 yrs | Typical debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | 409 | $35,748 | $48,002 | $9,200 |
| Associate | 1,413 | $33,693 | $45,648 | $10,875 |
| Bachelor's | 926 | $42,487 | $54,734 | $26,000 |
| Post-bacc certificate | 3 | — | — | — |
| Master's | 137 | $63,583 | $69,276 | — |
| Doctoral | 21 | — | — | — |
| Graduate certificate | 31 | $78,815 | $72,776 | — |
"Typical" is the median across programs of each program's median, counting only programs with unsuppressed data (at least three). It describes a typical program, not a national median for all graduates. Certificate figures include certificates earned at four-year colleges, often alongside a bachelor's; see degrees vs. certificates for a cleaner comparison. Source: College Scorecard field of study data.
One year after finishing, a typical certificate program in this field reports median earnings of $35,748, versus $42,487 for a typical bachelor's program.
Highest-earning certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | — | $90,351 | $17,164 |
| 2 | University of Colorado Boulder | CO | $36,603 | $78,248 | — |
| 3 | University of Mary Washington | VA | — | $73,686 | — |
| 4 | Contra Costa College | CA | — | $73,197 | $9,500 |
| 5 | Henry Ford College | MI | — | $71,159 | $13,000 |
| 6 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | $47,902 | $70,118 | $12,000 |
| 7 | Berkeley City College | CA | — | $68,353 | — |
| 8 | California State University-Fresno | CA | $64,925 | — | — |
| 9 | Cuesta College | CA | — | $63,494 | — |
| 10 | Arizona Western College | AZ | — | $63,234 | — |
| 11 | Mission College | CA | — | $61,691 | — |
| 12 | Forsyth Technical Community College | NC | — | $61,268 | — |
| 13 | Los Angeles Southwest College | CA | $46,272 | $60,569 | $12,667 |
| 14 | Austin Community College District | TX | — | $60,193 | — |
| 15 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona | PA | $60,044 | — | $26,993 |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning associate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palomar College | CA | $25,399 | $78,768 | — |
| 2 | Centenary University | NJ | — | $76,758 | — |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | — | $74,625 | — |
| 4 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | — | $71,009 | — |
| 5 | Excelsior University | NY | $54,256 | $69,263 | $13,333 |
| 6 | Thomas Edison State University | NJ | $55,981 | $68,659 | $16,262 |
| 7 | Emory University | GA | — | $68,403 | $5,500 |
| 8 | Emory University-Oxford College | GA | — | $68,403 | $5,500 |
| 9 | Hawaii Pacific University | HI | — | $68,210 | — |
| 10 | American Public University System | WV | $54,269 | $67,089 | $5,500 |
| 11 | Northland Pioneer College | AZ | — | $67,002 | — |
| 12 | Western Technical College | WI | — | $66,667 | $13,865 |
| 13 | Clayton State University | GA | — | $66,042 | $31,000 |
| 14 | National University | CA | $53,556 | $65,986 | $9,711 |
| 15 | Maria College of Albany | NY | — | $65,837 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning bachelor's programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MA | $95,803 | $180,963 | — |
| 2 | Yale University | CT | — | $134,564 | — |
| 3 | Georgetown University | DC | — | $120,018 | $27,625 |
| 4 | Bentley University | MA | $77,001 | $116,023 | $24,615 |
| 5 | University of Chicago | IL | — | $98,363 | — |
| 6 | Southern Methodist University | TX | $63,405 | $97,170 | $17,750 |
| 7 | Northwestern University | IL | — | $95,045 | — |
| 8 | Champlain College | VT | — | $93,003 | $22,223 |
| 9 | Drexel University | PA | $52,320 | $90,509 | $27,000 |
| 10 | American Public University System | WV | $69,410 | $90,270 | $11,000 |
| 11 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | $54,280 | $88,106 | $21,500 |
| 12 | Lehigh University | PA | $85,013 | — | — |
| 13 | DePaul University | IL | $91,847 | $82,936 | $39,593 |
| 14 | Wesleyan University | CT | $50,326 | $81,157 | — |
| 15 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | NY | — | $80,697 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning post-bacc certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University | IL | $76,690 | $97,439 | $14,750 |
| 2 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | CA | $91,373 | — | — |
| 3 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | — | $77,411 | $36,780 |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning master's programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | — | $123,945 | — |
| 2 | Harvard University | MA | $77,383 | $103,515 | — |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg | PA | — | $98,288 | — |
| 4 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | — | $98,288 | — |
| 5 | Stony Brook University | NY | $79,588 | $92,671 | — |
| 6 | Emory University | GA | — | $90,472 | — |
| 7 | Duke University | NC | — | $89,792 | — |
| 8 | Tennessee State University | TN | $74,672 | $86,655 | — |
| 9 | Georgetown University | DC | — | $85,363 | — |
| 10 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $65,784 | $82,173 | — |
| 11 | Villanova University | PA | $82,922 | $81,750 | — |
| 12 | DePaul University | IL | $82,004 | $78,958 | — |
| 13 | Johns Hopkins University | MD | $64,865 | $77,320 | — |
| 14 | Fort Hays State University | KS | $56,574 | $75,678 | — |
| 15 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center | NY | $65,841 | $74,104 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning doctoral programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas at Dallas | TX | — | $63,480 | — |
| 2 | Pacifica Graduate Institute | CA | — | $50,172 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning graduate certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | — | $144,478 | — |
| 2 | Villanova University | PA | $144,269 | — | — |
| 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | $83,364 | $79,582 | — |
| 4 | Lehigh University | PA | $74,266 | — | — |
| 5 | University of Colorado Boulder | CO | $69,245 | — | — |
| 6 | Georgetown University | DC | — | $65,970 | — |
| 7 | Emporia State University | KS | — | $60,021 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Quick answers
- How much do liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities graduates earn?
- One year after finishing, a typical bachelor's program in liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities reports median earnings of $42,487. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field of study data.
