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Home›Majors›Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 527 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$177,548 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

33.5 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−70%Estimated return after 10 years
$52,545Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$52,545 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$52,545Typical earnings four years after completion
$49,777Average earnings five years after completion
$27,000Typical federal student debt
30thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
169Degrees awarded in 2024–25
488College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 37 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

How much do Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $52,545 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $27,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $46,705 to $58,219 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 2 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$44,349
Federal debt
$9,500
Programs in the comparison
114
100 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$42,789
Federal debt
$11,000
Programs in the comparison
997
969 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$52,545
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
527
488 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$100,964
Federal debt
$28,249
Programs in the comparison
2
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$67,332
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
35
35 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$64,895
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$53,722
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
25
25 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$46,705National median$52,54575th percentile$58,219
488 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$58,21975th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$27,000Median federal debt across programs that report it
72Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

$147,998 four years after completionCambridge, MA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

American Public University System

$6,265 among completer borrowersCharles Town, WV · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

The University of Texas at Austin

294 reported awards in 2024–25Austin, TX · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$112,722Observed year-4 earnings$69,546
$11,655Annual college-wide average net price$37,930
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Massachusetts Institute of Technology$147,9982Yale University$113,7883Georgetown University$112,7224Bentley University$105,1835Columbia University in the City of New York$99,6796University of Chicago$96,5107Northwestern University$93,1808Champlain College$91,5339Emory University$90,02510DePaul University$86,444

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Postsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

CA46 programs$57,187 average earningsOH27 programs$52,719 average earningsTX26 programs$54,505 average earningsNY26 programs$58,073 average earningsPA24 programs$57,614 average earningsIN19 programs$51,595 average earningsIL16 programs$60,451 average earningsMA15 programs$62,648 average earningsNJ14 programs$59,147 average earningsFL14 programs$51,223 average earningsCT14 programs$63,464 average earningsWV13 programs$49,994 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.