College majors with the highest pay for new graduates
Median yearly pay for full-time workers aged 22 to 27 with a bachelor's degree, by college major, in 2024, ranked from the highest to the lowest.
By Academic Writing Club Newsroom · Updated
Median yearly pay at ages 22 to 27, the highest-paid majors, 2024
Median yearly pay, US dollars
| Rank | Major | Median yearly pay at ages 22 to 27 ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computer Engineering | $90,000 |
| 2 | Computer Science | $87,000 |
| 3= | Aerospace Engineering | $85,000 |
| 3= | Chemical Engineering | $85,000 |
| 5 | Industrial Engineering | $83,000 |
| 6 | Electrical Engineering | $82,000 |
| 7 | Mechanical Engineering | $80,000 |
| 8= | Civil Engineering | $75,000 |
| 8= | Construction Services | $75,000 |
| 8= | General Engineering | $75,000 |
| 8= | Miscellaneous Engineering | $75,000 |
| 12= | Business Analytics | $72,000 |
| 12= | Economics | $72,000 |
| 14= | Finance | $70,000 |
| 14= | Mathematics | $70,000 |
| 14= | Nursing | $70,000 |
| 17 | Accounting | $68,000 |
| 18= | Information Systems & Management | $67,000 |
| 18= | Physics | $67,000 |
| 20 | Engineering Technologies | $65,000 |
| 21 | International Affairs | $64,000 |
| 22 | Medical Technicians | $62,000 |
| 23= | Advertising and Public Relations | $60,000 |
| 23= | Architecture | $60,000 |
| 23= | General Business | $60,000 |
| 23= | Marketing | $60,000 |
| 23= | Miscellaneous Physical Sciences | $60,000 |
| 28 | Overall | $58,000 |
| 29= | Agriculture | $56,000 |
| 29= | Business Management | $56,000 |
| 31 | Public Policy and Law | $55,000 |
| 32 | Miscellaneous Technologies | $54,000 |
| 33= | Biochemistry | $52,000 |
| 33= | Communications | $52,000 |
| 33= | Ethnic Studies | $52,000 |
| 33= | Interdisciplinary Studies | $52,000 |
| 33= | Philosophy | $52,000 |
| 33= | Political Science | $52,000 |
| 39= | Chemistry | $50,000 |
| 39= | Commercial Art & Graphic Design | $50,000 |
| 39= | Criminal Justice | $50,000 |
| 39= | Earth Sciences | $50,000 |
| 39= | Environmental Studies | $50,000 |
| 39= | Geography | $50,000 |
| 39= | Health Services | $50,000 |
| 39= | Mass Media | $50,000 |
| 39= | Nutrition Sciences | $50,000 |
| 39= | Treatment Therapy | $50,000 |
| 49 | Sociology | $49,900 |
| 50 | Journalism | $49,000 |
| 51= | English Language | $48,000 |
| 51= | Family and Consumer Sciences | $48,000 |
| 51= | Foreign Language | $48,000 |
| 51= | Miscellaneous Education | $48,000 |
| 55 | History | $47,500 |
| 56 | Animal and Plant Sciences | $46,600 |
| 57= | Miscellaneous Biological Science | $46,000 |
| 57= | Special Education | $46,000 |
| 59 | Secondary Education | $45,300 |
| 60 | General Social Sciences | $45,200 |
| 61= | Anthropology | $45,000 |
| 61= | Art History | $45,000 |
| 61= | Biology | $45,000 |
| 61= | Early Childhood Education | $45,000 |
| 61= | Elementary Education | $45,000 |
| 61= | Fine Arts | $45,000 |
| 61= | General Education | $45,000 |
| 61= | Leisure and Hospitality | $45,000 |
| 61= | Liberal Arts | $45,000 |
| 61= | Psychology | $45,000 |
| 71 | Performing Arts | $44,000 |
| 72 | Social Services | $43,000 |
| 73 | Theology and Religion | $41,600 |
| 74 | Pharmacy | $40,000 |
Computer engineering graduates earned the most early in their careers: a median of $90,000 a year in 2024 for those aged 22 to 27 working full time. Computer science came next at $87,000, then chemical engineering and aerospace engineering at $85,000 each.
Engineering fills most of the top of the table. Outside it, construction services sits level with civil engineering at $75,000, and economics and business analytics come next at $72,000.
What the figures include
The figures are medians: half of the graduates in each major earned more and half earned less. They cover people who hold a bachelor's degree only and work full time, and leave out anyone still enrolled in school.
Pay at the start is not pay for life. By ages 35 to 45, chemical engineering graduates had a median of $135,000 a year, ahead of computer engineering at $131,000. Pharmacy has the lowest early-career figure in the table, $40,000, but the pay figures count only people whose highest qualification is a bachelor's degree, and 67% of working-age pharmacy graduates also hold a graduate degree.
