Top Paying Liberal Arts Majors

Three liberal arts majors had average starting salaries that topped $40,000 in 2012, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s January 2013 Salary Survey (see Figure 1) found that the top-paying liberal arts majors in 2012 were:

1. Liberal arts and sciences/general studies – $43,100
2. History – $41,900
3. English language and literature/letters – $40,200

The increases in average starting salary from those paid in 2011 for these three majors ranged from 3.6 percent for English language and literature to 3.9 percent for general studies.

“This is good news for liberal arts majors and follows the general trend over the past two years of increasing starting salaries for new college graduates,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

Furthermore, while the average starting salary for visual and performing arts majors ($33,800) was the lowest among the liberal arts in 2012, it too is on the upswing, representing a 3 percent bump from the average starting salary earned by these majors in 2011.

Here are examples of positions obtained by these graduates:

• Liberal Arts and Sciences/General Studies: Teacher
• English: Teacher, social worker/counselor, manager, paralegal/legal assistant
• History: Teacher, manager, and paralegal/legal assistant
• Visual and Performing Arts: Producer, director, teacher