Anthropology at University of Missouri-St Louis

UM-St. Louis's anthropology program shows a troubling start—graduates earn just $22,687 in their first year, placing it in the bottom quarter among Missouri's anthropology programs and well below the state's $29,604 median. That's nearly $7,000 less than what you'd expect from a typical Missouri anthropology degree. The $27,000 debt load isn't enormous, but when matched against those first-year earnings, it creates a debt-to-income ratio of 1.19, meaning graduates owe more than they earn in their first year out.

The 56% earnings jump to $35,436 by year four offers some hope, suggesting graduates eventually find their footing in the job market. However, even with that growth, earnings remain about $2,000 behind the stronger programs like Mizzou-Columbia. For context, Washington University anthropology graduates start at $34,489—higher than UM-St. Louis grads earn after four years.

One important caveat: this data comes from a very small sample of graduates (under 30), so individual circumstances can swing these numbers dramatically. If your student is genuinely passionate about anthropology and committed to graduate school—where many anthropology careers actually begin—the affordable debt load keeps that pathway open. But if the goal is immediate post-graduation earnings, the numbers suggest looking at other programs or other schools in Missouri's system.