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CollegeROI

Arts & Humanities Majors — ROI Rankings (2026)

32 arts & humanities majors across 4,210 school-major combinations analyzed for debt, earnings, and job market outlook.

32
Majors
48/100
Avg ROI Score
$27K
Avg Median Debt
$46K
Avg Year 1 Earnings

Arts & Humanities Majors by Average ROI

#MajorAvg ROI Score
1Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies74/100
2Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
3Geography and Cartography62/100
4Architectural History and Criticism62/100
5Environmental Design61/100
6Digital Humanities and Textual Studies60/100
7Data Visualization59/100
8Philosophy54/100
9Publishing54/100
10History53/100
11Classics and Classical Languages53/100
12Philosophy and Religious Studies53/100
13Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language52/100
14Audiovisual Communications Technologies51/100
15Literature51/100
16Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies50/100
17English Language and Literature50/100
18English Language and Literature/Letters, Other50/100
19Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities48/100
20Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other48/100
21Educational/Instructional Media Design47/100
22Film/Video and Photographic Arts45/100
23Fine and Studio Arts45/100
24Music45/100
25Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft44/100
26Design and Applied Arts44/100
27Visual and Performing Arts44/100
28Dance44/100
29Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management44/100
30Visual and Performing Arts, Other44/100
31Religious/Sacred Music41/100
32Culinary Arts and Related Services39/100

Top 50 Arts & Humanities Programs by ROI

#SchoolMajorROI Score
1Pitzer CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences77/100
2Carleton CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences76/100
3Hobart William Smith CollegesGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences75/100
4Pennsylvania College of TechnologyDrafting/Design Engineering Technologies75/100
5Savannah College of Art and DesignDrafting/Design Engineering Technologies75/100
6Trine UniversityDrafting/Design Engineering Technologies75/100
7University of California-MercedGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences75/100
8College for Creative StudiesDrafting/Design Engineering Technologies74/100
9New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences74/100
10Stanford UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences74/100
11University of Hawaii at HiloGeography and Cartography74/100
12Bowdoin CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
13Colorado CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
14Dartmouth CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
15Dickinson CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
16Earlham CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
17Fort Lewis CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
18Macalester CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
19South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
20Sul Ross State UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
21Trinity UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
22United States Coast Guard AcademyGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
23United States Naval AcademyGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
24University of Pittsburgh-BradfordGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
25Whitman CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
26Williams CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences73/100
27Adams State UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
28Beloit CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
29California Institute of TechnologyGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
30California State Polytechnic University-HumboldtGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
31Centenary College of LouisianaGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
32Commonwealth University of PennsylvaniaGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
33Furman UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
34Hanover CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
35Harvey Mudd CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
36Northland CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
37SUNY College at GeneseoGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
38SUNY College at PotsdamGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
39The Master's University and SeminaryGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
40The University of the SouthGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
41University of Arkansas-Fort SmithGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
42University of Florida-OnlineGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
43University of Maine at FarmingtonGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
44University of Pittsburgh-JohnstownGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
45University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
46Washington State UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences72/100
47Academy of Art UniversityDrafting/Design Engineering Technologies71/100
48Allegheny CollegeGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences71/100
49California State University Maritime AcademyGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences71/100
50Eastern Connecticut State UniversityGeological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences71/100

Frequently Asked Questions

CollegeROI tracks 32 arts & humanities majors across 4,210 school-major combinations with detailed debt and earnings data.

The average ROI Score for arts & humanities programs is 48/100. Average median debt is $27K with average first-year earnings of $46K.

Among arts & humanities majors, Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies has the highest average ROI Score at 74/100. The best individual program is Pitzer College in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences with a score of 77/100.