A new salary study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that liberal arts graduates are reaping the fruits of the tight labor market and good economy: higher starting salaries and a greater variety of jobs from which to choose.

Salary Survey is a quarterly report of starting salary offers to new college graduates in 70 disciplines, at the bachelor's degree level. The survey compiles data from more than 350 college and university career services offices nationwide. The September issue is the year-end report; it summarizes starting salary offers reported from September 1998, through August 1999.

According to the September issue of Salary Survey, many graduates in the liberal arts disciplines reported substantial salary increases. For example, history majors' average rose 5.8 percent over last year to $28,378, and political science/government majors both saw double-digit increases   their average offers rose 14.1 percent to $28,520 and 10.9 percent to $26, 433, respectively.

"Current conditions benefit all types of new college graduates," says Camille Luckenbaugh, NACE employment information manager. "It's not just computer science and engineering grads who are doing well. Liberal arts grads are also generating interest among employers."

For example, in 1994, visual/performing arts graduates received 41 percent of their job offers from education and merchandising employers; in 1999, fewer than a third (30.4 percent) of their offers came from those employers.

Management trainee positions accounted for 14 percent of their offers in 1994, while in 1999, those positions accounted for about 5 percent of their job offers.

In 1994, more than 13 percent of the job offers reported for English majors and nearly 15 of the offers to psychology majors were in sales. In 1999, those numbers fell to 6.4 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively.

"The traditional jobs and traditional employers continue to provide many opportunities for liberal arts graduates," adds Luckenbaugh. "Teaching jobs, for example, accounted for more than a quarter of the offers reported for English majors in 1999 and nearly 17 percent of the offers for history majors. What's happening, however, is that we're seeing some less traditional fields opening up to liberal arts graduates.

For example, nearly 8 percent of the jobs reported for English majors were with consulting firms. Nearly 3 percent of the offers reported for psychology majors were with computer software/data processing firms."

NACE is the leading source of information for human resources professionals who recruit and hire college graduates for career services practitioners on college campuses who advise students and graduates in career planning and the job-search process.

 -- Mimi Collins, Liberal Arts Graduates See Higher Salaries, More Employment Choices; http://www.jobweb.org/pubs/pr.