Regardless of the country, university education is inseparable from academic specialization. In modern society, university graduates from different majors not only follow different career paths, but there are also significant differences in their starting salaries and lifetime earnings. According to the "2010 College Salary Report" by a U.S. salary measurement website, engineering remains the leader in "earning potential" among all university majors (excluding medicine and law).
Among the following university majors, Petroleum Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Biomedical Engineering offer high starting salaries for undergraduate graduates, with median mid-career annual salaries exceeding $100,000. Below are the earnings for graduates of the 50 most "promising" majors at U.S. universities. This data is derived from a comprehensive survey and statistical analysis of graduates from 999 U.S. universities. Starting salaries reflect 2009 data, and the median mid-career annual salary refers to the income of graduates with over 10 years of experience in their respective fields.
Majors with a median mid-career annual salary of over $100,000 for undergraduate graduates
1. Petroleum Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $93,000, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $157,000.
2. Aerospace Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $59,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $108,000.
3. Chemical Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $64,800, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $108,000.
4. Electrical Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $60,800, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $104,000.
5. Nuclear Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $63,900, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $104,000.
6. Applied Mathematics, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $56,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $101,000.
7. Biomedical Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $54,800, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $101,000.
Majors with a median mid-career annual salary of $90,000 to $100,000 for undergraduate graduates
8. Physics, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $50,700, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $99,600.
9. Computer Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $61,200, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $99,500.
10. Economics, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $48,800, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $97,800.
11. Computer Science, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $56,200, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $97,700.
12. Industrial Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $58,200, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $97,600.
13. Mechanical Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $58,300, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $97,400.
14. Materials Science & Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $59,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $93,600.
15. Civil Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $53,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $93,400.
16. Statistics, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $50,000, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $92,900.
17. Finance, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $47,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $91,500.
18. Software Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $56,700, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $91,300.
19. Management Information Systems, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $50,900, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $90,300.
Majors with a median mid-career annual salary of $80,000 to $90,000 for undergraduate graduates
20. Mathematics, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $46,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $88,300.
21. Government, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $41,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $87,300.
22. Information Systems, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $49,300, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $87,100.
23. Construction Management, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $50,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $87,000.
24. Environmental Engineering, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $51,000, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $85,500.
25. Electrical Engineering Technology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $55,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $85,300.
26. Supply Chain Management, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $49,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $84,500.
27. Mechanical Engineering Technology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $53,300, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $84,300.
28. Chemistry, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $42,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $83,700.
29. Computer Information Systems, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $48,300, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $83,100.
30. International Relations, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $42,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $83,000.
31. Molecular Biology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $40,200, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $82,900.
32. Urban Planning, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $41,600, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $82,800.
33. Industrial Design, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $42,100, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $82,300.
34. Geology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $44,600, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $82,200.
35. Biochemistry, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $39,400, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $82,000.
36. Political Science, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $40,100, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $81,700.
37. Industrial Technology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $49,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $81,500.
38. Food Science, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $48,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $81,100.
Majors with a median mid-career annual salary of $70,000 to $80,000 for undergraduate graduates
39. Information Technology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $49,600, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $79,300.
40. Architecture, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $41,900, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $78,400.
41. Telecommunications, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $40,000, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $78,300.
42. Film Production, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $36,100, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $77,800.
43. Accounting, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $44,600, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $77,500.
44. Marketing, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $38,600, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $77,300.
45. Occupational Health and Safety, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $52,300, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $77,000.
46. Civil Engineering Technology, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $48,100, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $75,600.
47. WorldWay, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $42,600, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $73,700.
48. Advertising, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $37,800, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $73,200.
49. History, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $38,500, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $73,000.
50. Philosophy, median starting salary for undergraduate graduates is $39,100, median mid-career annual salary for undergraduate graduates is $72,900.
