Earnings of Workers with a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree, by Highest Degree and Field of Bachelor鈥檚, 2015
Obtaining an advanced degree makes a substantial difference in the earnings of college graduates. Among humanities graduates, advanced degree holders had median earnings that were 38% higher than those of workers with only a bachelor鈥檚 degree ($72,000 as compared to $52,000). In 2015, 41% of humanities bachelor鈥檚 degree holders had also earned an advanced degree (which was 5 percentage points above the share of graduates in all fields combined). Taking all fields together, advanced degree holders earned 33% more than their counterparts with just a bachelor鈥檚 degree.
For every humanities discipline, advanced degree holders made substantially more than workers with only bachelor鈥檚 degrees. The earnings differential ranged from $15,000 (in communication) to $27,000 (for graduates from area studies, ethnic studies, and history).1