Anthropology at Texas Tech University

Texas Tech's anthropology program manages to outperform 60% of similar programs in Texas and two-thirds of all anthropology programs nationwide, despite the field's notoriously modest earning potential. First-year graduates earn $30,385, which sits comfortably above both the national ($27,806) and state ($28,369) medians for anthropology. More importantly, the program pairs these stronger-than-average earnings with relatively low debt—at $26,500, graduates borrow just above the national median but notably more than the typical Texas anthropology graduate.

The 0.87 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe less than one year's salary, which is manageable territory for a liberal arts degree. Earnings show modest but steady growth to $31,748 by year four, suggesting graduates are finding stable employment rather than floundering. However, these numbers come from a small cohort (under 30 graduates), so individual outcomes may vary considerably from these medians.

For parents weighing this program, the question comes down to career goals. If your child plans to pursue graduate school—common for anthropology majors—or values the analytical and cultural skills this degree provides for diverse career paths, Texas Tech delivers solid preparation at a reasonable cost. But if immediate high earnings are the priority, understand that even this above-average program can't overcome anthropology's fundamental challenge: it's not a high-earning field at the bachelor's level.