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Liberal Arts & Humanities

Types of Degrees Liberal Arts & Humanities Majors Are Earning

Those studying Liberal Arts & Humanities may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	114,608
Associate’s Degree	363,119
Bachelor’s Degree	38,260
Master’s Degree	24,160
Doctor’s Degree	141

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Braille Teacher
• Foreign Student Adviser Teacher
• Survey Research Teacher
• Flight Simulation Instructor
• Interior Design Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Instructor
• Labor Relations Teacher
• Computer Technology Instructor
• Teacher
• Science Teacher
• Foreign Service Teacher
• Military Science Teacher
• University Teacher

Who Is Earning a Degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.3% of Liberal Arts & Humanities degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	336,422	62.3%
Men	203,902	37.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	246,161	45.6%
Asian	31,054	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	149,878	27.7%
Black or African American	57,291	10.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3,422	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1,436	0.3%
Two or More Races	23,667	4.4%
Race Unknown	16,834	3.1%
International Students	10,581	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Liberal Arts & Humanities Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,164
4 years	$37,934
5 years	$44,008

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,008 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Liberal Arts & Humanities Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Liberal Arts & Humanities. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	631	458
Bachelor’s	208	229
Master’s	38	32
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates earn a median of $37,934 four years after completion — essentially in line with the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.