Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at University of Alabama at Birmingham

UAB's Liberal Arts program significantly outperforms the state competition—ranking in the 80th percentile among Alabama schools—while also beating national medians by more than $4,600 annually. Starting at nearly $41,000, graduates earn substantially more than peers at other Alabama institutions, where the median barely crosses $31,000. The debt load of $28,500 is actually slightly below the national median, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 that most families can manage with reasonable post-graduation budgeting.

The concerning element here is the complete absence of earnings growth. Four years out, graduates are making essentially the same salary they started with, suggesting they're landing in positions with limited advancement potential or requiring additional credentials to move up. This isn't uncommon for general liberal arts degrees, but it means the strong starting salary is also the plateau. Compare this to Athens State's liberal arts grads who start at $50,900, though their program may attract a different student profile or concentrate in higher-paying subspecialties.

For Alabama families, this represents a solid in-state option that won't burden students with excessive debt and delivers better initial outcomes than most alternatives. Just understand that the $41,000 you see at graduation is likely close to what your child will be earning several years later without graduate school or career pivoting.