Classical and Ancient Studies graduates earn $50,477 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $34,140 and $68,542. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.
This page covers Classical and Ancient Studies as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Interdisciplinary Studies and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Classical and Ancient Studies is a focused area of study within Interdisciplinary Studies. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $50,477 four years out, a solid return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 77 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 290 students complete it each year, most walking away with a bachelor's. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.
Median Earnings · 1yr
$32,054
Median Earnings · 4yr
$50,477
Colleges Offering
77
Graduates / Year
290
Avg Net Price / yr
$24,120
How Much Do Classical and Ancient Studies Graduates Earn?
Four years after finishing Classical and Ancient Studies, a typical graduate earns $50,477, below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $34,140 and $68,542, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Do not judge the field on a starting paycheck alone: pay tends to jump in the first few years, climbing from $32,054 at one year out to $50,477 by year four. Source: College Scorecard.
Starting salaries only. Earnings in this field grow substantially in the first 3 to 5 years.
$50,477
4-Year National Median
Below average for bachelor's degree holders.
$40,615
4-Year Institutional Median
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Earnings Range
Not every Classical and Ancient Studies graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.
$34,14025th pct.
$50,477Median
$68,54275th pct.
Understanding the Cost vs. Return
At median 4-year earnings of $50,477 and an estimated $96,480 four-year net cost, earnings breakeven against a baseline wage takes approximately 4.7 years. Compare specific programs before committing to a high-cost option.
Based on outcomes from 70 schools.
Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 290 students who complete Classical and Ancient Studies programs each year, the majority (84%) earn a bachelor's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
84%
Bachelor's84%
Master's8%
Doctorate8%
What Can You Do With a Classical and Ancient Studies Degree?
This degree does not lock you into one job. Classical and Ancient Studies graduates show up in 4 different occupations, and Anthropology and Archeology Teachers pay the most at $99,650/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Teach courses in anthropology or archeology. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Advise students on academic and vocational curricula, career issues, and laboratory and field research.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as research methods, urban anthropology, and language and culture.
Teach courses pertaining to the culture and development of an area, an ethnic group, or any other group, such as Latin American studies, women's studies, or urban affairs. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as race and ethnic relations, gender studies, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as ancient history, postwar civilizations, and the history of third-world countries.
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations.
Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.
Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.
Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.
Top Colleges for Classical and Ancient Studies
Not sure where to study Classical and Ancient Studies? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by Classical and Ancient Studies graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats.
Read our methodology →
Related Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
Classical and Ancient Studies is not the only path through Interdisciplinary Studies: 38 other specializations sit alongside it. The comparison below ranks them by 4-year median earnings so you can see where this one lands.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Classical and Ancient Studies program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
The data on Classical and Ancient Studies shows 2 measurable strengths and 3 real trade-offs. All points are sourced from College Scorecard earnings, BLS projections, and IPEDS graduate counts.
PROS
Strong salary growthMedian earnings climb from $32,054 at graduation to $50,477 four years later, a clear sign of career momentum in this field.
Positive job outlookRelated careers project up to +6.0% job growth over the next 10 years, a solid signal for long-term demand.
CONS
Modest median earningsFour-year median of $50,477 lags STEM and business fields, affecting ROI at higher-cost programs.
Advanced degree often expectedTop roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
High earnings varianceGap between 25th ($34,140) and 75th ($68,542) percentile is wide. Where you land depends heavily on employer, role, and location.
Classical and Ancient Studies Degree: Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Classical and Ancient Studies graduates earn?
$50,477 four years after finishing the program. Half of graduates land between $34,140 and $68,542, so employer, role, and location move that number more than the degree itself. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the starting salary for a Classical and Ancient Studies degree?
$32,054 in the first year out. That grows to $50,477 by year four, so do not judge this field on the entry-level number alone. Most of the gain shows up once you clear the first few years and move past entry-level roles. Source: College Scorecard.
What jobs can you get with a Classical and Ancient Studies degree?
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers are one path, and it pays a median of $99,650 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does a Classical and Ancient Studies program take?
Four years of full-time study for a Classical and Ancient Studies bachelor's degree, the standard timeline for this field. If you want a faster route into the workforce, community colleges offer a two-year associate option instead.
How many colleges offer Classical and Ancient Studies?
77 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
Is a Classical and Ancient Studies degree worth it?
$50,477 median earnings four years out against $24,120 a year in average net price. That is a slow payback, so cost matters more than usual here: a cheaper school changes the answer. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific schools before deciding. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the difference between Classical and Ancient Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies?
Classical and Ancient Studies is the narrower of the two: Interdisciplinary Studies covers the full discipline, while this program limits the curriculum to Classical and Ancient Studies-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. Pick the specialization once you already know this is the direction you want; it gets you a more targeted credential, not a broader one.
What skills do employers look for in Classical and Ancient Studies graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring Classical and Ancient Studies graduates consistently look for writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for Classical and Ancient Studies graduates?
Outlook is slow overall: related occupations average +2.8% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Anthropologist & Archaeologist is among the strongest-growth roles at +6.0%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.
Related Interdisciplinary Studies Programs
Other programs in Interdisciplinary Studies. Compare earnings, credentials, and career paths before committing to a specialization.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Choose a Major Pillar
A decision framework for picking a college major using your interests, aptitudes, and federal earnings data to reach a defensible choice before applying.
Yes, most schools allow it, but the schedule math rarely works without either overlapping requirements or extra time. Here's when it actually fits in four years.
The real cost of a second major, when it pays back and when it doesn't, and why a focused single major with a relevant minor often beats a double major.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
All 38 Majors, Ranked by What Graduates Earn
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
Major earnings
Highest paying majors
Job growth
STEM
Field of study
Does Engineering Tech Out-Earn Engineering? The Data Says No
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Engineering tech
Engineering
Program earnings
Applied degree
Technician careers
STEM Is Not One Thing: The Pay Gap Within STEM
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
STEM earnings
Engineering pay
Computer science
Program earnings
Major choice
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
