The STEM vs arts debate comes up every year at CAO time, and it tends to generate more heat than light. The honest answer based on Irish salary data is that STEM graduates earn more on average in their first decade out of college. But that's not the full picture, and the nuances matter if you're actually trying to make a good decision rather than just win an argument.
What the data actually shows
The HEA publishes Graduate Outcomes data that tracks what Irish graduates are doing and earning one, three and five years after finishing their degrees. The pattern is consistent: computing, engineering, and physical sciences graduates earn more on average at every time point than arts, humanities, and social science graduates.
These are averages across disciplines, not fixed outcomes for any individual. The gap is real and it matters when you're calculating ROI on the same 4-year degree investment. But averages hide a wide spread: a law or economics graduate who goes into finance or the civil service can close much of that gap within 5 years.
Why the STEM salary advantage exists
The salary gap isn't random. It reflects a few things happening in the Irish economy specifically:
Multinational demand. Ireland hosts European headquarters for many large US tech, pharma and financial services companies. These companies compete for engineers, software developers and data scientists, which pushes up salaries in those fields. This creates a local salary premium for STEM skills that goes beyond what you'd see in a country with a different economic mix.
Skills shortage. Supply of graduates with strong STEM skills is still below employer demand in Ireland, particularly in software and engineering. A skills shortage gives graduates more leverage in salary negotiations and keeps baseline pay rising.
Direct vocational link. A software engineering degree leads fairly directly to a software engineering job. An arts degree is more flexible but less directed, which means arts graduates often spend more time in lower-paid transitional roles before landing in their target career.
What arts graduates actually do
One thing that muddies the STEM vs arts comparison is that arts graduates don't all end up in "arts jobs." Large numbers go into:
- The civil and public service (strong job security, defined pension, gradual pay growth)
- Law (via further professional training)
- Banking, financial services and consulting (graduate programmes that take any degree)
- Teaching (via a Higher Diploma in Education)
- Media and communications
- HR and people roles
For some of these paths, an arts degree is a perfectly adequate foundation. The salary in the civil service won't match a tech company, but many people value the security, pension, and work-life balance, and those are legitimate financial considerations even if they don't show up in a starting salary comparison.
The most important point: your result matters more than your field
A first class honours in English from UCD will get you further in many graduate recruitment processes than a pass degree in computer science. The salary gap between STEM and arts at degree level narrows considerably when you control for academic performance. Strong students in any discipline tend to do well.
The verdict
If you're genuinely interested in STEM subjects and the financial advantage is a bonus, that's great. If you're choosing between two subjects you're equally interested in and one has a clear salary advantage in Ireland, the financial data is worth paying attention to. But if you're forcing yourself into a STEM degree purely for the money and it's not a good fit for you, the data doesn't support that decision either.
The best financial choice is the degree you'll finish with a strong result, in a field that connects to the specific career you want.
See the starting salary, 5-year salary and ROI for all Irish courses in the calculator and make the comparison yourself.
Open the ROI CalculatorFrequently asked questions
Do STEM graduates earn more than arts graduates in Ireland?
On average, yes. HEA Graduate Outcomes data consistently shows that STEM graduates, particularly in engineering, computing and physical sciences, earn higher starting salaries than arts, humanities and social science graduates. The gap is typically €5,000 to €15,000 at the starting salary level and tends to widen over the first 5 years.
Is an arts degree worthless in Ireland?
No. An arts degree opens doors in the civil service, education, media, communications, law, finance and a broad range of graduate roles. The issue is that salary outcomes are lower on average in the first 5 to 10 years, and the degree is less directly vocational. Whether that matters depends on your specific career goals.
Which arts subjects lead to the best-paid careers in Ireland?
Within arts and social sciences, subjects most frequently leading to higher pay include economics, law (with further professional training) and languages combined with business or finance. Graduates who combine an arts degree with a professional qualification such as ACA or a relevant MSc also tend to achieve better salary outcomes.
Should I choose STEM for the salary alone?
Not necessarily. Engineering and CS programmes have meaningful dropout rates, partly because students who chose them for financial reasons rather than genuine interest find the curriculum hard to stay motivated through. A strong result in an arts degree you enjoy tends to beat a mediocre result in a STEM degree you struggle with.