Move over arts and languages. The college degrees that can bag you the biggest post-school salaries are all heavyweight STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects, with a particular focus on specialist engineering and computer sciences.
Graduates who major in these disciplines tend to take home hefty salaries and have little trouble paying off their student loans.
Read on to discover the top 20 majors that guarantee the fattest paychecks, as calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
In joint 19th place is Accounting, a major that teaches students how to audit and analyze financial information.
Unsurprisingly, many Accounting majors go on to become professional accountants, but that's not the only career open to them: actuary, auditor, business analyst, bank teller, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), office clerk, and teacher are just some of the other top-paying jobs that an Accounting degree could unlock. Graduates who have one earn a median yearly salary of $54,000 at the start of their careers.
Information Systems and Management – the study of operating systems and databases – is the joint 19th best-paying college major, with graduates reporting a median salary of $54,000 a year. And professionals in this field aren't likely to be stuck for jobs; data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BSL) shows that employment of computer and information systems managers is projected to grow by 16% between 2021 and 2031, much faster than average.
These budding medical professionals are pursuing one of the very few top-paying majors that isn't engineering focused. Graduates earn a median salary of $55,000, which rises to $75,000 at the mid-career level. But some nurses can earn substantially more: according to nurse.org, a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist can earn as much as $195,610 a year.
Like graduate nurses, Pharmacy majors also earn a median salary of $55,000, although they have stronger earning potential with professionals taking home around $100,000 at the mid-career level.
The outlook isn't totally bright though: according to the BLS, the employment of pharmacists is expected to grow just 2% between 2021 and 2031, much lower than the average for all occupations.
It's no secret that strong numeracy skills are in high demand with employers, and graduates with a degree in Mathematics earn a median salary of $59,000 at the start of their careers. This can increase to $88,000 at the mid-career level, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) listed the median salary for all math professionals as $98,680 in May 2021.
They say time is money and that's certainly true for finance majors. With high-paying careers such as actuary, finance analyst, and investor relations associate all open to them, grads with a degree in finance can expect to earn around $60,000 shortly after leaving college.
Boasting a degree-level qualification in Construction Services is a passport to a high-paying career. Graduates who've majored in this practical discipline are highly sought-after by employers and can make as much as $60,000 a year straight after college.
A degree in Economics opens the door to careers in banking, accounting, auditing, consulting, and more. Like Construction and Finance students, Economics grads earn a median salary of $60,000 with mid-career earning potential of $100,000.
Don't want to specialize too early? College students who keep their options open with a General Engineering major earn a median annual salary of $60,000 after graduating.
While this might not be as much as the salaries typically taken home by specialized engineers at the start of their career, general engineers have mid-career earning potential of $100,000, the same as miscellaneous, civil, and industrial engineers.
Graduates of Engineering Technologies, often known as technologists in the workplace, are responsible for applying their engineering skills to solve real-world practical problems. Armed with this expertise, grads have impressive earning potential, taking home a median annual salary of $62,000 at the start of their careers.
Civil Engineering, which covers the design and construction of everything from roads and railways to sewage plants, is the 10th highest-paying college major. Civil engineers can expect to earn a median salary of $65,000 after graduating, with typical renumeration rising to $100,000 after they've gained more experience.
The next major in the top 10 is Business Analytics, the study of data to drive business performance. Business analysts are responsible for creating new strategies by gathering and evaluating statistics, and are well renumerated for their skill; according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the median salary for business analysts at the start of their career is $66,000.
Miscellaneous Engineering is a general term used to describe a variety of engineering majors such as renewable energy or nuclear that aren't individually classified by the National Center for Education Statistics. Their specific field of study might not be classified, but Miscellaneous Engineering grads are still some of America's top earners, with a median early career wage of $68,000.
The first of three majors on our list with early career earning potential of $70,000 is Mechanical Engineering. The long-term outlook for these professionals is mixed, however; although the BSL expects to see 17,900 openings for mechanical engineers over the next decade, employment is expected to grow by just 2% in the run-up to 2031, lower than average for all occupations. This could be due to increased automation in the sector.
Industrial Engineering is another top choice for students who want to earn big bucks in the real world, with a median early-career salary of $70,000. That said, the mid-career pay is slightly lower than that earned by mechanical engineers, at $100,000 compared to $105,000.
Like students of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering grads can expect a median salary of $70,000 at the start of their career. And with a combined major, your earning potential could be even higher. According to Payscale's College Salary Report back in 2021, people who study Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at college were the highest-earning graduates that year, reporting an average yearly salary of $108,500.
Students aspiring to design and build aircraft and spacecraft after college will be happy to hear that their chosen field is well compensated.
Graduates make a median salary of $72,000 at the start of their careers. The BSL predicts an average of 3,800 job openings for aerospace engineers every year for the next decade.
Computer Science has its origins in mathematics, and involves studying algorithms and computational theories to develop software and other system requirements. Students who choose to major in Computer Science can expect to earn a median salary of $73,000 after graduating.
Unlike Computer Science, Computer Engineering developed from the field of electronics and means immersing yourself in the world of microchips, processors, and all the other components that make our devices and gadgets work.
The median annual salary of a Computer Engineering grad at the start of their career is a very respectable $74,000, just $1,000 higher than the median pay for Computer Science grads. This gap widens as time goes on, however, with the median mid-career wages for Computer Engineering and Computer Science grads reaching $114,000 and $105,000 respectively.
Topping the list is Chemical Engineering, with college grads going on to earn a median salary of $75,000 – comfortably above the median American salary of $53,490 a year.
Jobs are available in industries including food and drink, construction, oil and gas, renewable energy, and pharmaceuticals, so chemical engineers are typically in high demand. And the demand is growing: according to the BLS, employment of chemical engineers is expected to grow by 14% from 2021 to 2031, well above the average growth rate for all occupations.
Now see the college majors that definitely won't make you rich