Some conventional wisdom about college is wrong

Times have been tough for higher education, and the challenges have been numerous: the wake of the Great Recession, dwindling state funding, declining enrollments and growing public skepticism about the value of a college degree, particularly a degree outside the realm of science, technology, engineering or math.

There are many reasons for these trends, but one is a common view – among students, parents and many pundits – that liberal-arts majors face diminished lifelong earning potential and career success.

But actual data refute the myth that drives the trend:
For instance, within six months of graduation from my institution – the University of Colorado Boulder – 91 percent of graduates are either working full time or in graduate school, our research indicates. This is true across the wide range of majors, from physics to philosophy to anthropology.