25 college majors with the highest starting salaries
PayScale, the creator of the world's largest compensation database, recently looked at the early and mid-career pay for over a million college grads - including professionals who graduated with a bachelor's from 963 colleges and universities.
For its College Salary Report, which was compiled using data from employees who successfully completed PayScale's employee survey, PayScale sorted the results by school, degree, and college major.
Of the 25 majors with the highest starting salaries, 21 are engineering-focused.
"We've seen this same trend every year since we first launched the College Salary Report in 2008," says Lydia Frank, PayScale's editorial director.
"Engineering is a lucrative field that crosses many different industries," she tells Business Insider. "But even if engineering is your field of choice, ensuring you receive a well-rounded education is important to future career success."
She adds: "We've heard from employers that the ability to effectively communicate is the skill college grads are lacking most. So grads who can bring employers both in-demand technical skills and a core liberal arts foundation are the ones who are going to stand out most," Frank explains.
Here are the 25 majors with the highest starting salaries:
25. Engineering
Median early career pay: $62,600
Median mid-career pay: $107,000
24. Biomedical engineering
Median early career pay: $62,700
Median mid-career pay: $104,000
23. Engineering management
Median early career pay: $62,800
Median mid-career pay: $98,400
22. Aeronautical engineering
Median early career pay: $63,000
Median mid-career pay: $113,000
20. (tie) Mechanical engineering
Median early career pay: $63,500
Median mid-career pay: $103,100
20. (tie) Computer science and mathematics
Median early career pay: $63,500
Median mid-career pay: $111,000
18. (tie) Industrial engineering
Median early career pay: $63,800
Median mid-career pay: $104,000
18. (tie) Industrial and systems engineering
Median early career pay: $63,800
Median mid-career pay: $108,000
17. Electrical and electronics engineering
Median early career pay: $64,000
Median mid-career pay: $108,000
16. Software engineering
Median early career pay: $64,700
Median mid-career pay: $98,100
15. Computer science
Median early career pay: $65,300
Median mid-career pay: $107,000
13. (tie) Dental hygiene
Median early career pay: $65,400
Median mid-career pay: $74,900
13. (tie) Aerospace engineering
Median early career pay: $65,400
Median mid-career pay: $106,000
12. Materials science and engineering
Median early career pay: $65,800
Median mid-career pay: $108,000
11. Systems engineering
Median early career pay: $66,400
Median mid-career pay: $121,000
10. Electrical engineering
Median early career pay: $67,000
Median mid-career pay: $110,000
9. Electronics and communications engineering
Median early career pay: $68,000
Median mid-career pay: $115,000
8. Electrical and computer engineering
Median early career pay: $68,100
Median mid-career pay: $114,000
7. Nuclear engineering
Median early career pay: $68,500
Median mid-career pay: $116,000
6. Computer engineering
Median early career pay: $69,600
Median mid-career pay: $113,000
5. Chemical engineering
Median early career pay: $69,800
Median mid-career pay: $119,000
4. Mining engineering
Median early career pay: $70,200
Median mid-career pay: $107,000
3. Computer science and engineering
Median early career pay: $71,200
Median mid-career pay: $116,000
2. Physician assistant studies
Median early career pay: $85,200
Median mid-career pay: $103,000
1. Petroleum engineering
Median early career pay: $96,700
Median mid-career pay: $172,000
See the full College Salary Report here.