Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 05.02. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 1,154 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 154 | 2,473 | $41,382 | $57,315 | $24,625 3 programs |
| Associate's degree | 163 | 704 | $31,611 | $38,387 | $11,620 1 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 493 | 4,797 | $38,739 | $51,710 | $20,168 82 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 20 | 0 | $61,689 | $69,708 | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 135 | 546 | $51,441 | $62,705 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 53 | 136 | $69,315 | $81,271 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 135 | 466 | $63,273 | $63,168 | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa IA · Public · 36 graduates measured | $45,196 | $61,856 | $24,625 |
| University of Missouri-Columbia MO · Public · 414 graduates measured | $42,440 | $59,265 | $19,500 |
| University of Wisconsin-Whitewater WI · Public · 16 graduates measured | $41,901 | Data unavailable | $27,000 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee WI · Public · 24 graduates measured | $37,678 | $46,088 | Data unavailable |
| Florida Atlantic University FL · Public · 17 graduates measured | $36,006 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ · Public · 20 graduates measured | $33,726 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ · Public · 20 graduates measured | $33,726 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 26 graduates measured | $63,128 | $55,472 | $17,750 |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 23 graduates measured | $60,764 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Spelman College GA · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $58,614 | $25,137 | Data unavailable |
| Yale University CT · Private, nonprofit · 31 graduates measured | $53,654 | $65,213 | Data unavailable |
| Seattle Pacific University WA · Private, nonprofit · 19 graduates measured | $51,332 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| CUNY Lehman College NY · Public · 22 graduates measured | $49,047 | $56,907 | Data unavailable |
| Stanford University CA · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $48,283 | $45,519 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 112 graduates measured | $47,245 | $67,291 | $11,000 |
| CUNY Hunter College NY · Public · 45 graduates measured | $47,074 | $51,569 | Data unavailable |
| Rutgers University-Camden NJ · Public · 64 graduates measured | $45,191 | $55,164 | $23,750 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ · Public · 64 graduates measured | $45,191 | $55,164 | $23,750 |
| Rutgers University-Newark NJ · Public · 64 graduates measured | $45,191 | $55,164 | $23,750 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus VA · Public · 38 graduates measured | $44,660 | $57,646 | $22,075 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC · Public · 22 graduates measured | $44,241 | $54,798 | $30,333 |
| Wheaton College (Massachusetts) MA · Private, nonprofit · 27 graduates measured | $44,232 | $64,701 | $26,959 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA · Public · 19 graduates measured | $56,527 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Oklahoma State University OK · Public · 29 graduates measured | $69,389 | $82,579 | Data unavailable |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center NY · Public · 29 graduates measured | $53,838 | $68,933 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public · 33 graduates measured | $41,156 | $69,701 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Doctoral degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widener University PA · Private, nonprofit · 20 graduates measured | $92,351 | $74,436 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary | $85,020 | +2.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Interpreters and translators | $60,170 | +2.0% | Bachelor's degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (12)
- 05.0200 Ethnic Studies
- 05.0201 African-American/Black Studies
- 05.0202 American Indian/Native American Studies
- 05.0203 Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies
- 05.0206 Asian-American Studies
- 05.0207 Women's Studies
- 05.0208 Gay/Lesbian Studies
- 05.0209 Folklore Studies
- 05.0210 Disability Studies
- 05.0211 Deaf Studies
- 05.0212 Comparative Group Studies
- 05.0299 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other