The Highest-Paying Liberal Arts Major

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Clarissa

October 2, 2014

By the way, do you know which is the highest-paying Liberal Arts Major?

Mine:

So says the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which reports that the top-paying liberal arts majors for 2014 graduates are foreign languages and literature (average starting salary $46,900) and English ($42,200).

These are really great salaries. The problem is that students are not aware of this and still believe that the best way to untold riches is Law School (which is actually a way into extreme penury these days because there is such an overproduction of lawyers.)

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14 responses to “The Highest-Paying Liberal Arts Major”

David P. Bellamy

October 2, 2014

I confess that I am surprised that mathematics did not even make the list. It is a Liberal Arts major, too.

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lamestllama

October 2, 2014

I am just suprised at how low those wages are you could get more making coffee.

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1. Clarissa
  
  October 2, 2014
  
  This is an extremely good salary for a first job. One can live like an absolute queen or king.
  
  But I’m happy your financial state is so great that this doesn’t seem like good money. Yay for you!
  
  By the way, my starting salary as a professor (i.e. a person with 5 degrees, not 1) was $42,000.
  
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  1. David P. Bellamy
    
    October 2, 2014
    
    By the way, my starting salary as a professor (i.e. a person with 5 degrees, not 1) was $42,000.
    
    $42k seems awfully low for a starting salary for a faculty member, even if you are referring to a job from before you became a tenure track assistant professor.
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      October 2, 2014
      
      OK, I’m sure nobody means it this way but I’m hearing all these comments as “Ha ha, you are pathetic because you don’t make more money.”
      
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  2. David P. Bellamy
    
    October 2, 2014
    
    My starting salary as an assistant professor in 1968 was $10,000. This is approximately the equivalent of $60,000 now, because of inflation.
    
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David P. Bellamy

October 2, 2014

I do not mean that you are pathetic. The opposite is what I think, in fact.

It does make me think that there are much larger differences from one university to another than I had realized. Keeping the same job for nearly half a century makes one rather out of touch.

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Shakti

October 2, 2014

I’d be more excited if:
Average equals median; which it doesn’t.
They weren’t shuttling everyone into “part time” “independent contractor” jobs.
So right there, there’s a significant selection bias.

$42,000 k is a great starting salary if you have absolutely no debt, no dependents, and a low cost of living.

Silly students. The best way to “untold riches” is nepotism, time travel, or being an engineer or a dermatologist.

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1. Clarissa
  
  October 2, 2014
  
  How much would you be willing to pay to a 22-year-old recent graduate as a starting salary?
  
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  1. Shakti
    
    October 3, 2014
    
    Depends on what the job is. My first reaction is that $42,000/year is a ridiculous salary for just having a liberal arts college degree. But it’s not untold riches because looking around there’s very little salary growth for recent college graduates. $42,000 a year would be able to afford the median 2 bed room apartment in this area.
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      October 3, 2014
      
      “$42,000 a year would be able to afford the median 2 bed room apartment in this area.”
      
      – Why would a 22-year-old need more than 2 bedrooms??
      
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  2. Shakti
    
    October 3, 2014
    
    You mistake me. I mean to say it’s a fine salary. Two bedrooms is PLENTY of space and someone making $42,000/year could afford that on their own plus utilities. My mother has a rental property, and has had great difficulty finding pairs of people who can afford to split $860 plus utilities for a 2 bedroom duplex. This is par for the area.
    
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    1. Clarissa
      
      October 3, 2014
      
      Sorry, I’m dense in the morning.
      
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J. Otto Pohl

October 3, 2014

My salary today as an academic today with a PhD after seven years experience is less than $15k a year. I hope to someday be able to make $42k a year after I reach full professor.

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