Spotlight for Career Services Professionals
May 9, 2012 

Liberal arts and sciences/general studies majors are currently the top paid among graduates in the liberal arts, according to NACE’s April 2012 Salary Survey. 

While it’s early in the salary-reporting cycle for Class of 2012 graduates, the highest-paid majors in liberal arts at this point are fairly clustered. All of their median starting salaries are above $30,000, and just $3,500 separates their highest and lowest median salaries. 

Liberal arts and sciences/general studies majors have received a median salary of $38,300. (See Figure 1.) 

Rounding out the top highest-paying majors for liberal arts graduates are history ($37,500), foreign languages and literatures ($37,400), English language and literature/letters ($36,900), and visual and performing arts ($34,800).  

An executive summary of the April 2012 Salary Survey report is available at www.naceweb.org/salary-survey-data/.  

NACE’s next update on starting salaries for new college graduates will be available in the September 2012 issue of Salary Survey.  

Figure 1: Top-Paid Majors for Bachelor’s Degree Graduates in Liberal Arts * 

*Source: April 2012 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers. Data are for bachelor's degree candidates.  

Note: Salary Survey reports starting salaries for new college graduates in more than 90 disciplines at the bachelor’s degree level. Data contained in the report are reported by employers, represent accepted starting salaries (not salary offers), and are produced through a compilation of data derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and a master set of data developed by Job Search Intelligence. Data for the April 2012 report were retrieved in February 2012. Salary Survey is published in January, April, and September.