We all know that the graduate prospects of a particular university can help or hinder your choice of attending. But, did you know that the type of degree you take can be as important as what university you go to? Some degrees might even have you earning less than those that don’t go to university at all. Because of the overwhelming debt that students face when they go into higher education, there is a lot of pressure to minimise the money owed by choosing the right degree from the get-go. A lot of thought goes into a student’s career path. If you’re worried that you’re going to make the wrong choice, take a look at our list of the worst-paying degrees in the UK and decide for yourself. Keep in mind that to pay back your student loans, you must earn over a certain threshold, which (as of 2024) stands at £25,00 a year.
The worst-paying degrees in 2024
We’ve used data from Standout CV to determine which degrees are the worst-paying currently. The table below shows degree subject areas that fall under the average (£25,000) according to how much you’d earn in a high-skilled role within that industry.
| Rank | Degree subject area | Average graduate salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creative arts & design | £21,000 |
| 2 | Mass communications & documentation | £21,000 |
| 3 | Law | £22,000 |
| 4 | Biological sciences | £23,000 |
| 5 | Agriculture & related subjects | £23,500 |
| 6 | Architecture, building & planning | £24,000 |
| 7 | Languages | £24,000 |
| 8 | Education | £24,500 |
| 9 | Historical & philosophical studies | £24,500 |
1. Arts and Design – £21,000
With a Bachelor of Arts degree, you can expect to be earning on average £21,000. The higher-paid roles include Project Manager, Marketing Manager and Senior Graphic Designer.
2. Mass communications & documentation – £21,000
This generally refers to media-related roles, so it could be working in film and television, radio and so on. You can definitely work your way up, where highly-paid jobs such as Advertising Execs can earn a fortune. But the average salary for graduates in the UK studying in this area is £21,000, making it one of the worst-paying degrees alongside creative arts and design.
3. Law – £22,000
This is probably one of the most shocking to us in our list of worst-paying degrees, as law degrees are typically associated with a lot of hard work, long hours and tough roles. Oh and the memorisation needed to remember all the laws, acts and regulations…But still the average graduate salary is currently £22,000. As with other degree areas, you can earn a lot if you stick with it, maybe get lucky, and get into highly-paid positions.
4. Biological sciences – £23,000
You’d think that scientists would be raking it in. But students of biological sciences are only earning an average of £23,000, which is below the average graduate salary in the UK (£25,000). Plus, this is just the ‘highly-skilled’ roles, with some students landing jobs with a starting salary of £18,000.
5. Agriculture – £23,500
With this degree, you might become a farm manager or an agricultural engineer and so on. The average salary for a farmer is £23,980 at entry level, but can vary massively due to the high number of roles in the industry. If you keep it going, a more experienced farmer could earn up to £45,000.
6. Architecture, building & planning – £24,000
If you make it as an architect, you’ll probably be on a pretty impressive salary. But it’s not that easy to land the dream job straight out of uni. You’ll most likely start doing practical experience so you can get chartered status, or do an internship of some kind. However, despite this being 6th on our list of worst-paying degrees for 2024, £24,000 isn’t the worst starting salary. Especially if you know you’re on your way to an incredible career.
7. Languages – £24,000
Studying languages is such a varied degree. It can be useful for many different kind of jobs after graduation. Many go on to teaching languages, but you can also use it for business, marketing or any other kind of operations where that language is sought-after. Similarly to graduates who studied architecture, building and planning-related degrees, language students are also coming out with jobs paying £24,000 on average.
For more career inspo, find out what you can do with a Modern Language degree.
8. Education – £24, 500
Teachers are famously underpaid. The average salary for students with an education degree is £24,500, although some salaries start at £17,000. Obviously not all education students go into teaching directly, but Prospectus claims that NQTs (newly-qualified teachers) earn £28,000 to £34,502. Teachers in London get paid £5,000 more n average than teachers outside of London.
9. Historical & philosophical studies – £24,500
This is quite a broad subject in terms of the type of job you can go into. If you studies history, for example, you could work in museums, in teaching, in libraries, as a researcher and so on. Similarly philosophy students may work in all sorts of areas from human resources to marketing. So while the average salary for students of this degree area is £24,500, which is below average, it really does depend on the kind of work you go into.
Here’s more on what you can do with a history degree, and your options of what to do with a philosophy degree.
So, that’s our list of the worst-paying degrees in the UK! If you find your subject on this list, remember it’s not the end of the world. Success doesn’t follow a linear path and your options are limitless if you keep your opportunities open. If your degree is ending soon and you’re worried about what to do after, our list of the best graduate recruitment agencies for students might help you make the next step. Or, if you’re still deciding what’s best to study, take a look at the most pointless degrees to study at university.
And…if you’re wondering which are the best-paying degrees to compare, take a look at this list:
- Medicine & dentistry (£35k)
- Veterinary science (£31k)
- Engineering & technology (£28k)
- Maths (£28k)
- Computer science (£27k)
- Combined (£26k)
- Social studies (£26k)
- Business and administrative studies (£25k)
- Physical sciences (£25k)
- Subjects allied to medicine (£25k)
Although these are the worst-paying degrees for 2024, sometimes the university you go to can make a difference. That’s why it’s worth knowing which unis graduates earn the least!
