Ranked

US majors with the lowest graduate earnings

The other end of the same federal data. A low figure is not a verdict on the subject — it is the salary reality to plan your borrowing around.

#MajorLevelGradeMedian earningsTypical rangeGraduates/yr
1 Film and Photography Bachelor's F $25,194 $22,268–$27,482 12,629
2 Fine Arts Bachelor's F $25,467 $22,192–$28,960 23,904
3 Music Bachelor's F $25,658 $21,508–$32,391 15,225
4 Biology Bachelor's F $28,443 $25,194–$32,382 85,344
5 Philosophy Bachelor's F $28,598 $25,194–$33,281 7,542
6 English Bachelor's F $28,598 $24,962–$32,382 27,287
7 Music Master's F $29,051 $24,228–$33,993 6,242
8 Psychology Bachelor's F $29,141 $26,353–$31,616 117,175
9 Fine Arts Master's F $29,616 $23,456–$33,565 3,045
10 History Bachelor's F $29,685 $25,856–$33,604 23,955
11 Exercise Science Bachelor's D $29,685 $26,248–$33,281 48,104
12 Natural Resources and Conservation Bachelor's D $31,364 $27,476–$36,221 17,590
13 Sociology Bachelor's D $31,443 $28,236–$34,847 25,941
14 Health Services Bachelor's D $31,594 $28,598–$36,141 19,233
15 Film and Photography Master's F $31,670 $26,353–$35,823 1,871
16 Allied Health Bachelor's D $32,162 $32,162–$32,162 949
17 Social Work Bachelor's D $32,249 $29,250–$34,244 20,205
18 Journalism Bachelor's D $32,429 $29,183–$35,843 10,025
19 Dietetics and Nutrition Bachelor's D $32,925 $27,642–$36,134 2,467
20 Social Sciences Bachelor's D $33,237 $29,565–$37,568 5,560
21 Communications Bachelor's D $33,710 $29,685–$37,208 44,591
22 Political Science Bachelor's C $33,993 $29,751–$37,896 41,107
23 Microbiology Bachelor's C $34,207 $29,685–$38,289 3,108
24 Criminal Justice Bachelor's C $34,420 $31,205–$37,208 48,051
25 Geography Bachelor's C $35,420 $31,133–$38,829 3,429
26 Teaching Bachelor's C $35,605 $32,485–$38,721 51,441
27 Hospitality Management Bachelor's C $36,497 $33,192–$40,140 7,940
28 Special Education Bachelor's C $37,568 $34,450–$40,821 8,867
29 Pharmacy Bachelor's C $37,705 $29,593–$41,937 2,784
30 Family and Consumer Sciences Bachelor's C $38,108 $38,018–$41,193 475
31 Chemistry Bachelor's C $38,289 $33,281–$41,937 13,229
32 Biology Master's F $38,289 $28,212–$46,087 7,761
33 Social Sciences Master's F $38,481 $37,208–$49,058 1,618
34 Healthcare Administration Bachelor's C $39,009 $35,416–$44,783 16,905
35 English Master's F $39,261 $32,925–$42,682 3,937
36 History Master's F $39,927 $33,993–$44,468 3,626
37 Sociology Master's D $40,560 $31,314–$41,565 1,358
38 Exercise Science Master's D $40,843 $37,856–$45,128 9,192
39 Physics Bachelor's C $41,193 $34,847–$48,432 7,710
40 Journalism Master's D $41,863 $38,289–$47,260 1,525

A low figure is a planning input, not a verdict

Nothing here says these subjects are not worth studying. It says that if you borrow heavily for one of them, the repayment will take a larger share of your pay for longer — so the price of the institution matters more, and scholarships matter more.

Two years out is early for some fields

Subjects that lead into further study or long qualification routes — psychology, biology, fine art, humanities heading to teaching or law — look weakest at this measuring point and often improve substantially later. The data cannot see that; you can.

Questions

Which college majors earn the least?
Film and Photography (Bachelor's) — $25,194 median earnings two years after finishing, across 427 US programmes.
Are these starting salaries?
No. They are median earnings two years after students completed the degree, taken from tax records rather than surveys or job adverts.
Can I compare a master's with a bachelor's here?
Only with care. Each grade is a percentile inside its own credential level, so an A master's and an A bachelor's are both top-of-their-level rather than equal in salary.
All degree grades Highest paying majors Most popular majors University costs & payback Scholarships

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study earnings, measured two years after completion. Majors with too few programmes publishing earnings are left out rather than estimated.