IT’S A QUESTION we get from nosy aunts well-meaning guidance counselors and military recruiters offering college tuition in exchange for service.
Education is an investment! Choosing your degree and career wisely can mean money back in your pocket. According to recent salary surveys engineers definitely earn the most. But if you’re not into mathematics and applied sciences there are plenty of other degrees that will put you on the path to the big bucks.
Check out our list of degrees that “make the grade”—starting salaries of $50,000+!
ENGINEERING
As far as majors go engineering makes up seven out of the top 10 salaries for undergraduates on PayScale.com’s 2010-2011 College Salary Report and the 2011 annual salary survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Median starting salaries range from $51,000 to $66,886 depending on the degree. If you enjoy developing solutions designing materials building machines or streamlining processes this may just be your ticket to luxury.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
There is no shortage of demand for computer science majors. In fact computer science is broad enough that there are plenty of career options such as software designers application developers and freelance computer programmers. On average computer science graduates begin in the $56,000 to $60,000 range.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
If you excel at planning and organizing projects then construction management may be the right degree for you. They might not be swinging the hammer but construction managers are just as vital to a project coordinating everything from design to completion. Some of the top schools for this major: Lawrence Technological University the University of Denver and Southern Polytechnic University. Average starting salary: $53,400.
NURSING
Let’s face it America is getting older. And as our population ages the need for high-quality healthcare is skyrocketing. That means picking a college major centered on healthcare is a safe bet for a high-paying and long-lasting career. Nurses are always in short supply and the demand for nursing professionals is great despite a sagging economy. The average starting salary for a nurse (depending on their degree) can be as high as $52,000 to $56,000.
ECONOMICS
Having lived through bail-outs and recessions you’re probably aware of how necessary economists are in the workplace. The courses required for a degree in economics provide graduates many of the skills employers value such as the critical thinking and analytical skills that are vital to a company organization or government’s success. The average annual salary offer to 2011 grads is $54,634.
According to the NACE survey here are seven other high-paying majors to consider with the following average annual salaries offered to 2011 grads:
- Mathematics: $55,300
- Management information systems/ business data processing: $54,372
- Finance: $53,048
- Agricultural sciences (not including plant science” animal science or conservation majors): $52,934
- Human resources: $52,532
- Logistics/materials management: $50,602
- Accounting: $50,316
