<p>Then it has to be one of those obscure humanities disciplines. </p>
<p>But I would also point out that an alternate key factor is the general brand name and recruiting access of your school, above and beyond the specific discipline. For example, even a PhD in an ostensibly unmarketable discipline can nevertheless be parleyed into a lucrative position in finance or consulting if that PhD comes from a elite-branded school…with Harvard clearly being the archetypal brand. I would therefore argue that a PhD in Film Studies from Harvard, if utilized right, could actually be far more marketable than a PhD in accounting/finance from a no-name school. Let’s face it, in many private-sector careers such as strategy consulting or finance, nobody is going to care what your PhD discipline is. All they will see is the general brand name of your school.</p>
<p>Oh, you’re still talking about only academic jobs? I was talking about all jobs. What I meant was that the Harvard Film Studies PhD could land a nice job with a strategy consulting or finance firm, simply by virtue of the Harvard brand, in the same manner that a Harvard Film Studies undergraduate could land a nice job with a consulting/finance firm.</p>
<p>If you want to talk about only academic jobs, then the highest-paying PhD would be one that allows you to target faculty positions at a professional school: law/medicine/business. The worst-paying PhD would then be one that only allows you to target faculty positions in the low-paying humanities.</p>