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Liberal Arts

Types of Degrees Liberal Arts Majors Are Earning

Those studying Liberal Arts can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	75,709
Associate’s Degree	235,730
Bachelor’s Degree	21,186
Master’s Degree	11,560
Doctor’s Degree	35

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Liberal Arts graduates include:

• University Teacher
• University Professor
• Packaging Professor
• Weight Control Lecturer
• Faculty Member
• Liberal Arts Teacher
• Braille Teacher
• Interdisciplinary Professor
• Military Science Instructor
• Interior Design Teacher
• Foreign Student Adviser Teacher
• Military Science Teacher
• Computer Technology Instructor
• Flight Simulator Teacher
• Urban Planning Teacher

Who Is Earning a Degree in Liberal Arts?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.6% of Liberal Arts degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	215,613	62.6%
Men	128,607	37.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	148,051	43.0%
Asian	22,278	6.5%
Hispanic or Latino	105,120	30.5%
Black or African American	33,191	9.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1,790	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	993	0.3%
Two or More Races	15,640	4.5%
Race Unknown	9,464	2.7%
International Students	7,693	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Liberal Arts Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Liberal Arts 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 Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Liberal Arts. 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	291	247
Bachelor’s	91	99
Master’s	23	17
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{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 Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Liberal Arts 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.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	24.01
General Studies	24.0102
Humanities/Humanistic Studies	24.0103
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other	24.0199

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.