College majors that make most money

The challenges of choosing the field that one will work in after school can be overwhelming, with the coursework requirements typically determining the likelihood of a switch. Of the highest-paying majors, most are in STEM fields. In the United States, there is currently a critical shortage of STEM-trained workers; among the hardest jobs to fill are scientists and mathematicians, engineers and architects, IT computer specialists, high-skilled technicians, and construction and extraction workers, according to Monster. This lack of trained workers is slowing corporate growth in some regions, which leads to depressed competitive regional pay and the forced emigration of critical labor to healthier job markets. Stacker has examined bachelor’s degree programs to determine the 50 majors that lead to the best-paying jobs. Rankings are based on the mid-career median salary reported for the major, or the salary that is expected after 10 years of continuous employment in the major’s field. For this calculation, equity or stock colelge, retirement plans, and non-cash benefits—such as health care—were not mooney. College majors that make most money are inflation-adjusted to June dollars for the sake of comparison.

Is College Worth It?

I found my online school there and I’m very satisfied. Can you guess what the highest-paying majors are i. When it comes to choosing a focus for college, it’s important to know which programs generally lead to stellar incomes. Sure, the best college majors are in fields that appeal to your interests and offer opportunities for growth. But what if you could have all that while also earning an amazing paycheck? Even better, right? As you might expect, the majors that tend to pay the most come from the science, technology, engineering , and math STEM disciplines. In fact, 11 of the top 15 are engineering programs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a decent living in a non-STEM field. Above-average earnings can also be had in areas ranging from business and health care to agriculture and public service. The following lists of college majors as well as the median earnings for each major are based on a report from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University. The report ranked different college majors by the median salaries of full-time workers with bachelor’s degrees. Use these lists to kick-start your career exploration and examine a range of rewarding options! If your goal is to maximize your earning potential, you’d be wise to consider a career in the high-demand areas of science, technology, engineering , and math. The Georgetown University report found that not only do STEM majors have the highest salaries, but they also enjoy the largest wage growth over their careers—on average, they make 50 percent more in the late stages of their careers than they do at the beginning.

Did You Know?

Hey college students! Starting to think about graduation already? Have you got your eyes set on landing your first job—and pulling in a sweet paycheck? So what are the best college majors associated with the highest paying jobs? Glad you asked. No surprise, STEM majors—science, technology, engineering, and math—came out on top. Read on to see which common majors can lead to high paying careers right out of the gate. And you’ve got a healthy job market, too.

10. Aeronautics & astronautics

Choosing a major makes an even bigger impact on future earnings than deciding which school to attend. In fact, there are a number of 2-year degrees that can lead to high pay. Check out these associate degree majors. Physician Assistant Studies 2. Radiation Therapy 3. Software Engineering 4. Project Management 5.

Your choice of major can have a big impact on your future salary. If salary potential matters to you, we have the data that will help you choose a major that leads to high pay.

Petroleum Engineering 2. Applied Economics and Management 4. Operations Research 5. Political Economy. PayScale ranks the top college majors by salary to help you figure out how much you can earn after graduation. In fact, some of those majors lead to high-paying careers as well — it just often takes a longer time for those graduates to reach their prime earning potential. PayScale publishes this data to help students and their families make smart decisions about how much they can really afford to pay for an education in their intended subject matter.

Student debt has been reaching record levels. By knowing your future salary potential, you can know how much debt you can afford to take on, and set yourself up for a successful career in any field.

Majors That Pay You Back Choosing a major makes an even bigger impact on future earnings than deciding which school to attend. What Am I Worth? What your skills are worth in the job market is constantly changing. Get Your Pay Report.

College is Expensive

College students arriving on campuses across the U. But now, they’ll need to choose a major. As part of its annual College Salary Reportreleased today, PayScale analyzed data from graduates of more than 2, schools in order to spotlight how much graduates typically make early and mid-way through their careers. The site also identified the highest-paying college majors, and polled workers about whether or not they felt their work makes the world a better place. As in previous yearsSTEM fields dominate the highest-paying majors. But Sudarshan Sampath, director of research at PayScale, stresses that students should think carefully about what they want to earn a degree in, rather than deciding to pursue a major simply because it might pay. The key, he says, is to pick a major that you are interested in that can also give you useful hard and soft skills. This, says Sampath, is another important factor to consider. Like this story? Get Make It newsletters delivered to your inbox. All Rights Reserved. Skip Navigation. Success 5 mental traps that successful people never fall for, according to psychologists Anna Borges, Contributor. Work These are the 20 best jobs in America innew ranking says Courtney Connley. Graduate students in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics create simulators of a winged aircraft or ground vehicles. VIDEO Make It.