Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at North Carolina State University at Raleigh

NC State delivers unusually strong outcomes for a liberal arts degree, with graduates earning $41,661—significantly above both the national median ($36,340) and North Carolina's median ($33,847) for this major. Among North Carolina's 36 programs, this ranks in the 60th percentile, trailing only UNC Chapel Hill and Belmont Abbey College among major institutions. The debt load of $25,993 is actually below both national and state averages, creating a manageable 0.62 debt-to-earnings ratio that most liberal arts graduates would envy.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in this dataset, these numbers could shift considerably year to year. This might reflect a selective cohort within NC State's broader liberal arts offerings rather than typical outcomes. That said, the combination of NC State's strong reputation (40% admission rate, 1380 average SAT) and its hands-on, career-focused culture likely gives even humanities majors better employment traction than at many peer institutions.

For North Carolina families, this represents one of the better in-state options for a liberal arts degree. The earnings premium over the state median suggests NC State's employment network and practical orientation translate across majors, not just in engineering. Just recognize the small sample size means your child's outcome could vary more than with larger programs.