OBSERVED EARNINGS · LIKE-FOR-LIKE CATEGORIESHighest-paying majors
National median earnings four years after completion, keeping field and credential level visible.
Social & Behavioral Sciences13 ranked field-and-credential categories with at least 10 earnings observations
1EconomicsMaster's Degree · 22 programs$104,0852International Relations and National Security StudiesMaster's Degree · 40 programs$91,0523Geography and CartographyMaster's Degree · 17 programs$87,1654Area StudiesMaster's Degree · 10 programs$77,9815Political Science and GovernmentMaster's Degree · 16 programs$75,5236Psychology, OtherMaster's Degree · 14 programs$67,9857Psychology, GeneralMaster's Degree · 92 programs$67,9738CriminologyMaster's Degree · 15 programs$67,1639Foods, Nutrition, and Related ServicesMaster's Degree · 26 programs$65,91810Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's Degree · 335 programs$65,27811Research and Experimental PsychologyMaster's Degree · 13 programs$62,66112Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, GeneralMaster's Degree · 10 programs$60,76613Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesMaster's Degree · 27 programs$59,496Field 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.