10 Worst College Majors For Making Money

The purpose of attending college is for students to get an education that will help them pursue a rewarding and enjoyable career. But high school and college students would be lying if they said making decent money isn't also a major part of the equation.

A recent report by Kiplinger compiled starting and mid-career salary data for workers with degrees in 126 different majors in an attempt to identify the college degrees that deliver the least bang for their buck.

Here’s a look at the 10 college degrees that are earning people the smallest paychecks.

10. Art History

Starting salary: $41,000.

Mid-career salary: $65,400.

Kiplinger reported that one out of every five Americans with an art history degree has dropped out of the workforce.

9. Anthropology

Starting salary: $40,500.

Mid-career salary: $63,200.

There are only about 733 total new online anthropology job openings per year.

8. Graphic Design

Starting salary: $40,200.

Mid-career salary: $61,700.

Kiplinger reported that only 65 percent of graphic design majors land a full-time job.

7. Radio and Television

Starting salary: $38,600.

Mid-career salary: $64,100.

Even with the economy firing on all cylinders, the number of job openings in radio and television is declining by roughly 10 percent annually, according to Kiplinger.

6. Photography

Starting salary: $38,600.

Mid-career salary: $56,500.

Most companies opt to hire freelance photographers rather than full-time employees.

5. Religious Studies

Starting salary: $38,300.

Mid-career salary: $62,100.

Kiplinger suggested students interested in religious studies opt instead to major in philosophy, which is in much higher demand in today’s economy.

4. Music

Starting salary: $38,200.

Mid-career salary: $63,300.

Incredibly, only about 12 percent of music majors end up working full-time in the music industry.

3. Art

Starting salary: $37,000.

Mid-career salary: $59,600.

Nearly one in five people with art degrees are no longer participating in the workforce.

2. Exercise Science

Starting salary: $36,600.

Mid-career salary: $54,500.

The supply of exercise science graduates entering the workforce overwhelms the relatively small 1,521 annual job openings in the field, pressuring wages.

1. Paralegal Studies

Starting salary: $35,100.

Mid-career salary: $56,400.

Out of all 126 college majors, paralegal degrees are expected to draw the lowest starting salary of all. As the struggling law industry looks to cut costs, paralegal jobs have been cut, leaving few prospects for college graduates.

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