Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at Wabash College

Wabash College's writing studies graduates earn nearly double what their peers make nationally—$50,446 versus a national median of $28,418—while carrying debt barely above average. This program sits in the 95th percentile for earnings both nationally and within Indiana, where it substantially outperforms DePauw ($31,640), the next-highest earner in the state. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 is notably strong for a humanities degree, suggesting graduates can manage their $27,000 in loans comfortably on their first-year salary.

The caveat here is sample size: with fewer than 30 graduates in this dataset, these numbers could shift considerably year to year. That said, the margin between Wabash's outcomes and every other Indiana program is wide enough that even with statistical noise, this appears to be an outlier performer. Whether this reflects Wabash's all-male student body, its liberal arts focus, or something specific about how this program places students into careers, the practical result is unusual earning power for writing majors.

For an anxious parent worried about the classic "liberal arts doesn't pay" narrative, Wabash offers counter-evidence worth examining closely. Just recognize you're looking at a narrow data slice, so direct conversations with current students and recent alumni would help confirm whether this pattern holds consistently.