Where do the wage figures come from?

Career wages use optimistic published averages (BLS OEWS national means when higher than medians). Major early/mid wages match MajorMatch DB.meta. Typical mid-career / BLS mean — not personal guarantees.

How do I use the Major Earnings Continuum?

Read mid-career pay on the vertical axis and Science↔Arts position on the horizontal axis. Click a major for careers and pay; click a career for education requirements and blog links. Search finds a major; deep links like #s=Nursing still work — quiz results already link here.

How do I find MY fit on the continuum?

Take the free MajorMatch assessment (about 10–20 minutes). You get a free top 3 major fit; the optional Pathfinder full report is $29.

Quick answer

Free interactive chart · 100 majors by mid-career pay

Major Earnings Continuum

Q: What is the MajorMatch Major Earnings Continuum?

The Major Earnings Continuum is an interactive chart of 100 college majors. The X axis runs Science (cool blue) to Arts (warm gold). The Y axis shows mid-career earning potential. Click a major for related careers and pay, then open a career for education requirements and related MajorMatch articles.

Majors → careers → pay on one clear chart. 100 majors on one chart — same set the assessment scores — with careers and mid-career wage data. Y axis = mid-career earning potential (higher is up). X axis = Science ←→ Arts (cool blue left, warm gold right). Click a major for careers and typical pay; open a career for education requirements and related guides. Then take the free assessment to see your fit.

Justify the cost

Find your top 3 on this map — take the free assessment ~10–20 min · free top 3 · optional $29 Pathfinder

Related free tool: Loan vs Upside calculator — compare illustrative loan cost to Continuum lifetime upside across 100 majors, then take the assessment for fit.

Click a major · higher on the chart = higher mid-career pay

Get YOUR fit on the continuum

The free MajorMatch assessment takes about 10–20 minutes. See your free top 3 major fits — optional Pathfinder full report is $29.

Start the free assessment

Not a toy quiz. Aptitude + labor-market fit, not vibes.

FAQ

What is the MajorMatch Major Earnings Continuum?

An interactive chart of 100 college majors (all majors in our dataset). The Y axis shows mid-career earning potential; the X axis places majors on a Science ←→ Arts continuum (STEM/Health left, Business mid, Arts/Humanities/Education right). Open a major for careers and typical pay; open a career for education requirements and related MajorMatch articles.

Where does the pay data come from?

Career tip wages are BLS OEWS May 2024 national annual means (optimistic vs medians). Major early/mid wages use the same optimistic published-average method as the sources note below (top-half career means; early ≈ 0.72 × mid). Same figures power quiz DB.meta. Not personal offers or guarantees.

How do I use it?

Scan the chart for pay at a glance, click a major for careers, click a career for requirements and blog links, search to jump, and share a deep link (e.g. #s=Nursing). Quiz results already link here the same way.

How do I compare Continuum pay to student loan cost?

Open the free Loan vs Upside calculator to stack illustrative bachelor’s loan repayment against lifetime earnings upside for the same 100 majors. Defaults are labeled estimates — not a personal loan quote — then come back to the ~10–20 min assessment so pay and fit stay on the same page.

Sources: Career tip wages are U.S. BLS OEWS national annual mean wages (May 2024 release) — optimistic published averages (means preferred over medians when mean is higher). Major early/mid wages are defensible optimistic derived figures: mid = mean of the top half of BA/AS/HS/VAR careers listed for that major (rounded to $1,000; never below prior published mid); early ≈ 0.72 × mid (NY Fed–style early-to-mid range, optimistic). Data Science, Cybersecurity, Social Work, and Environmental Science use the same OEWS means; quiz scoring still maps search aliases to nearest calibrated majors so aptitude profiles stay safe. Typical mid-career / BLS mean — not personal offers or guarantees. Always cross-check current BLS releases for local decisions.