Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Baylor University

Based on peer programs across Texas, a general liberal arts bachelor's from Baylor typically produces first-year earnings around $38,800 paired with estimated debt of $27,400. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 sits in workable territory—you're looking at manageable monthly payments relative to starting salary. However, these estimates can't tell us whether Baylor's specific program performs better or worse than the state median; the sample size is too small for the Department of Education to report actual outcomes.

What makes this harder to evaluate is the gap between Baylor and top-performing liberal arts programs in Texas. Schools like St. Thomas and UT Austin report earnings $7,000 to $14,000 higher for similar degrees—a meaningful difference when you're starting your career. Whether Baylor's outcomes fall closer to that upper tier or to the state average depends on factors these estimates can't capture: alumni networks, internship pipelines, and how general studies students convert their degree into specific careers.

For a family considering a $109,000+ investment at a selective private university (Baylor's admission rate is 51% with strong SAT scores), the practical question is whether this broad credential will compete with more specialized degrees or with liberal arts programs at peer institutions. Without program-specific data, you're betting on Baylor's brand and the student's ability to leverage it—not on proven outcomes for this particular major.