In the world of technology and startups, humanities majors are unfortunately overlooked for engineering and statistics, even when it has a strong earning potential.
In the years 2012-2014, humanities majors dropped by 8.7% in degrees awarded. Students are opting for STEM majors, because it presents more job opportunities for fresh graduates. This, however, does not mean students who major in English, philosophy, literature or a foreign language have no earning potential.
The writing, critical thinking, and analytical skills that you develop from studying a humanities major can prepare you for a successful career. PayScale, an online compensation information company, published their findings earlier this year and here’s a list of the top 15 university for humanities majors* by potential salary:
*Note, this list do not include the salaries of individuals who pursued another degree after their undergraduate degree in computer science.
1. Illinois State University
0-5 years experience: $40,900
10+ experience: $126,000
2. (tie) University of Chicago
0-5 years experience: $44,100
10+ experience: $105,000
2. (tie) University of Pennsylvania
0-5 years experience: $56,400
10+ experience: $105,000
4. Harvard University
0-5 years experience: $60,000
10+ experience: $99,800
5. (tie) Columbia University
0-5 years experience: $54,800
10+ experience: $98,800
5. (tie) University of California - Berkeley
0-5 years experience: $48,400
10+ experience: $98,800
7. University of Southern California
0-5 years experience: $48,400
10+ experience: $98,600
8. Northwestern University
0-5 years experience: $46,400
10+ experience: $97,000
9. Colgate University
0-5 years experience: $58,300
10+ experience: $96,300
10. University of Kansas
0-5 years experience: $42,200
10+ experience: $93,500
11. University of Virginia
0-5 years experience: $48,500
10+ experience: $98,800
12. University of California - San Diego
0-5 years experience: $43,700
10+ experience: $93,400
13. New York University
0-5 years experience: $49,800
10+ experience: $93,200
14. University of California - Santa Barbara
0-5 years experience: $44,000
10+ experience: $92,100
15. Yale University
0-5 years experience: $54,100
10+ experience: $92,000
Not sure if you want to study computer science yet? Do some research and browse our database of 60,000+ successful college application files to see what students similar to you are studying!
Sources: Inside HigherEd, PayScale
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