OBSERVED EARNINGS · LIKE-FOR-LIKE CATEGORIES

Highest-paying majors

National median earnings four years after completion, keeping field and credential level visible.

Field familyAll fields STEM & Computing Health & Clinical Business & Management Social & Behavioral Sciences Education Arts, Media & Humanities Law & Public Service Trades & Applied Fields

Degree levelAll credentials Associate Bachelor’s Master’s Doctorate

Arts, Media & Humanities56 ranked field-and-credential categories with at least 10 earnings observations

31Visual and Performing Arts, OtherBachelor's Degree · 12 programs$48,155 32Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's Degree · 51 programs$47,791 33MusicMaster's Degree · 98 programs$47,357 34Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's Degree · 153 programs$47,141 35American Sign LanguageBachelor's Degree · 22 programs$45,475 36Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · 11 programs$44,556 37Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · 114 programs$44,349 38Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's Degree · 162 programs$44,232 39Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's Degree · 64 programs$44,143 40MusicBachelor's Degree · 314 programs$43,385 41Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · 997 programs$42,789 42Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree · 465 programs$41,265 43Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's Degree · 81 programs$41,156 44DanceBachelor's Degree · 72 programs$40,657 45Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's Degree · 282 programs$40,073 46English Language and Literature/Letters, OtherBachelor's Degree · 17 programs$39,287 47Design and Applied ArtsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · 35 programs$38,351 48Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationAssociate's Degree · 15 programs$37,102 49Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's Degree · 116 programs$37,065 50MusicAssociate's Degree · 13 programs$36,153 51English Language and Literature, GeneralAssociate's Degree · 15 programs$34,868 52Fine and Studio ArtsAssociate's Degree · 38 programs$34,728 53Film/Video and Photographic ArtsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · 15 programs$33,622 54Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralAssociate's Degree · 14 programs$32,304 55Film/Video and Photographic ArtsAssociate's Degree · 15 programs$32,202 56English Language and Literature, GeneralUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · 12 programs$29,719

Field families are reproducible groupings of federal two-digit CIP subject codes. Rankings require at least 10 programs with reported year-4 earnings; missing or suppressed values are not replaced with zero.