History at Monmouth University

Monmouth University's history graduates are significantly outearning their peers—ranking in the 95th percentile nationally and 80th percentile within New Jersey, where they're making roughly $48,000 right after graduation compared to a state median of just $34,000. Only Rider University among New Jersey schools shows higher earnings for history majors. The $27,000 in typical debt sits right at the national average, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56 that's quite manageable—these graduates can realistically pay off their loans within a few years of entering the workforce.

However, the small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift considerably with more data. The modest 3% earnings growth between years one and four also suggests graduates may be hitting their salary ceiling relatively quickly. Still, when a history degree from most schools leads to earnings in the low $30,000s, Monmouth's track record of nearly $50,000 starting salaries stands out as exceptional.

For families concerned about the practicality of a humanities degree, this program demonstrates that outcomes vary dramatically by institution. While no sample size caveat can be ignored, the combination of strong initial earnings and reasonable debt makes this a notably better bet than the typical history program.