Liberal Arts & Humanities

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2016

487,141

growing 5.52%

Median In-State​
Public Tuition

$6,385

growing 3.75%

Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition

$28,212

growing 1.82%

Average Wage

$68,343

growing 7.64%

People in Workforce

651,510

declining 0.8%

Average Employee Age

44.4

growing 0.398%

About

Institutions

Employment

Diversity

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Liberal Arts & Humanities degree recipients are Miami, FL, New York, NY, and Orlando, FL. The locations with a relatively high number of Liberal Arts & Humanities degree recipients are St. Martin, OH, Annapolis, MD, and Union, SC. The most common degree awarded to students studying Liberal Arts & Humanities is a associates degree.

Photo by Michael D Beckwith

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Liberal Arts & Humanities and the types of students that study this field. Miami Dade College awards the most degrees in Liberal Arts & Humanities in the US, but University of Wisconsin Colleges and Thomas Aquinas College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

Tuition costs for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors are, on average, $6,385 for in-state public colleges, and $28,212 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Liberal Arts & Humanities programs are Public, 2-year institutions (826 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 2-year (319,113 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities

  1. Miami Dade College

  2. Valencia College

  3. Broward College

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities, is Public, 2-year (319,113 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Liberal Arts & Humanities programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,385

Median In-State Public

$28,212

Median Out of State Private

Miami Dade College has the most Liberal Arts & Humanities degree recipients, with 8,911 degrees awarded in 2016.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

  1. University of Wisconsin Colleges

    100%

  2. Thomas Aquinas College

    100%

  3. Chatfield College

    100%

Out of all institutions that offer Liberal Arts & Humanities programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, University of Wisconsin Colleges and Thomas Aquinas College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities, with 100% and 100%, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities

  1. Los Angeles County, CA

  2. Orange County, CA

  3. Maricopa County, AZ

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities by year.

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Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

  1. Leflore County, MS

  2. Staunton city, VA

  3. Orangeburg County, SC

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Liberal Arts & Humanities.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors is $68,343 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Miscellaneous managers, and Secretaries & administrative assistants.

The industry that employs the most Liberal Arts & Humanities majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Software publishing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$68,343

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,188

7.64%

1 Year Growth

± 4.13%

The average salary for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors is $68,343 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Miscellaneous managers, and Secretaries & administrative assistants.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

  1. District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC

  2. Upper West Side & West Side PUMA, NY

  3. LA (Southwest/Marina del Rey & Westchester) & Culver City Cities PUMA, CA

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Liberal Arts & Humanities majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Occupations

Most Common

The most common occupations Liberal Arts & Humanities majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Miscellaneous managers, and Secretaries & administrative assistants.

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Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors working as Librarians, Natural sciences managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

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Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Liberal Arts & Humanities majors are Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents, Physicians & surgeons, and Dentists.

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Occupations by Share

651,510

2017 Workforce

± 19,773

0.8%

1 Year Growth

± 4.32%

The number of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates in the workforce has been declining at a rate of 0.8%, from 656,766 in 2016 to 651,510 in 2017.

The largest single share of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (11.1%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Liberal Arts & Humanities by share of the total number of graduates.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Liberal Arts & Humanities majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Hospitals.

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Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors, by average wage, are Software publishing, Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals, and Other motor vehicle dealers.

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Industries by Share

651,510

2017 Workforce

± 19,773

0.8%

1 Year Growth

± 4.32%

The number of Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 0.8%, from 656,766 in 2016 to 651,510 in 2017.

The industry which employs the most Liberal Arts & Humanities graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

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Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors

  1. West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA

  2. Carr 2-Carr 111 PUMA, PR

  3. Carr 2-Carr 100 PUMA, PR

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Liberal Arts & Humanities majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Liberal Arts & Humanities majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities is 44.4, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Associates Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Liberal Arts & Humanities degrees, and White students earn the majority (256,800) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

44.4

Average Age in 2017

± 0.385 Years

0.398%

1 Year Change

± 1.22%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Liberal Arts & Humanities. The most common ages of employees with this major are 48 and 36 years old, which represent 3.07% and 3.03% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Liberal Arts & Humanities are Associates Degree, 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate, and Bachelors Degree.

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Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Liberal Arts & Humanities are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (61.7%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Liberal Arts & Humanities.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

  1. White

    256,800 degrees awarded

  2. Hispanic or Latino

    99,187 degrees awarded

  3. Black or African American

    59,415 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Liberal Arts & Humanities for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

  1. White Female

    16,524 degrees awarded

  2. White Male

    9,885 degrees awarded

  3. Hispanic or Latino Female

    3,901 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Liberal Arts & Humanities. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

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Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

  1. India

    15,421 degree recipients

  2. Mexico

    8,458 degree recipients

  3. Philippines

    4,284 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

  1. Israel

    3.89 times more than expected

  2. Kenya

    3.23 times more than expected

  3. Bangladesh

    3.13 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Israel that hold Liberal Arts & Humanities degrees (3.89 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (15,421 degree recipients).

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