Want a well-rounded education, but high earning potential when you graduate? You don’t have to sacrifice a solid foundation in the liberal arts for practical concerns. Although STEM graduates routinely top the list of high-salaried grads, many of the schools on this year’s College Salary Report offer plenty of options for humanities, arts, and communications majors.
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A quick note about definitions, here: PayScale characterizes colleges and universities as “liberal arts schools” if they require all of their students to take liberal arts courses in order to qualify for their degree. That’s why you’ll see some schools — such as Harvey Mudd College — with a high percentage of STEM grads. Most liberal arts schools, however, award less than 20 percent of their degrees to STEM majors.
The full list of top liberal arts schools by salary potential is available here.
Early Career Salary: $75,600
Mid-Career Salary: $133,800
High Meaning: 55 percent
STEM Degrees: 86 percent
2. United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis
Early Career Salary: $80,700
Mid-Career Salary: $130,000
High Meaning: 59 percent
STEM Degrees: 54 percent
Early Career Salary: $54,000
Mid-Career Salary: $126,600
High Meaning: 53 percent
STEM Degrees: 15 percent
4. Washington and Less University
Early Career Salary: $50,700
Mid-Career Salary: $124,300
High Meaning: 48 percent
STEM Degrees: 17 percent
5. United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point
Early Career Salary: $75,100
Mid-Career Salary: $123,900
High Meaning: 57 percent
STEM Degrees: 39 percent
Tell Us What You Think
Do you have a liberal arts degree, and if so, would you choose the same major again? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
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