Which college majors offer the best long-term return on investment?

MoneyWatch Which college majors offer the best long-term return on investment? .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Aimee Picchi Aimee Picchi Associate Managing Editor, MoneyWatch Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports. Read Full Bio Aimee Picchi May 15, 2026 / 4:55 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google As college costs climb and skepticism about higher education grows, many Americans are asking whether a bachelor's degree is still worth the price.A new analysis of Texas public college students shows graduates generally earn far more than non-degree holders, even in liberal arts.The analysis, by the Postsecondary Commission, a nonprofit education group, tracked about 29,000 students who enrolled in bachelor's degree programs in the 2008-09 academic year. Researchers then tracked the graduates' "cumulative net value-added earnings" over the next 15 years. That metric compares grads' total earnings over a period of time with those of workers without bachelor's degrees, while also subtracting educational expenses such as tuition, room and board and income lost while attending college.On average, college graduates outearned high school graduates by almost $87,000 over that 15-year period, even after accounting for college costs. Engineering and architecture majors enjoyed the highest returns. But even liberal arts majors, whose degrees can translate into lower earnings, outperformed their peers without bachelor's degrees by about $35,000, the study found."Those pursuing a bachelor's degree — regardless of field of study — are likely making a wise investment," Michael Itzkowitz, president of higher education consulting firm HEA Group, told CBS News of the findings. "That's a financial g...