State of the Humanities 2021: Workforce & Beyond

Earnings of College Graduates, by Field of Bachelor’s and Highest Degree, 2018

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Humanities Indicators

Earnings of College Graduates, by Field of Bachelor’s and Highest Degree, 2018

As of 2018, approximately 41% of humanities graduates held an advanced degree (similar to the share of all college graduates who had earned such a degree).10 As with other college graduates, obtaining an advanced degree made a substantial difference in the earnings of humanities majors. The median earnings of humanities majors who went on to earn an advanced degree (which may be in another field) were 34% higher than those of workers with only a bachelor’s degree ($78,000 as compared to $58,000). Among college graduates generally, advanced degree holders earned 37% more than terminal bachelor’s degree holders, with the largest increase found among graduates from the life sciences (80%).11

Endnotes

  • 10For information regarding the share of each field’s graduates who have an advanced degree, see the report website.
  • 112018 American Community Survey PUMS.