College Majors That Yield the Highest Paying Jobs

Students From Liverpool's John Moore University Receive Their Degrees

When you enter college and choose your major, people always suggest certain fields of study. Major in business, one person may suggest, or focus on biology, another person will tell you. They will tell you that a certain major will make you happier or give you better career options down the line, and for the most part, what people say is exaggeration, or only what happens in some cases, not all of them. However, although people’s college majors are ultimately their decisions and should be based on solely what they want to do in life, there is truth in the fact that some college majors help individuals obtain more attractive and appealing professions later in life. These are five college majors that yield the highest paying jobs.

Engineering

The typical starting salary for a college student that majors in Engineering is between $51,000-$97,000. Later in their careers, most of these individuals move up to making between $90,000-$155,000 a year. Many engineers are able to make this high of salaries by acquiring their Profession Engineering, or PE, license, which allows for them to earn roughly more than $10,000 a year  than the average,unlicensed engineer who works for a manufacturing company and also provides them with opportunity to even go into business for themselves.

Computer Science

The average starting salary for people whose college majors were Computer Science is $56,600 and the usual salary for them later in their careers is almost $100,000: $97,900 to be exact. Internships, taking classes that assign difficult projects, and becoming an expert at coding are all essential to landing good, well-paying job in the tech world. Attending a well-known or highly regarded university and doing side projects on one’s own is also a great way for a person to get his or her foot in the door.

Physics

Physics majors typically earn $49,000 as a starting salary and end up making over $100,00 later in their careers in most cases.  Additionally, what makes Physics one of the best college majors out there is that there is a plethora of places where one can work. Anywhere from high schools and hospitals to the U.S. military, museums, laboratories, and even publishing firms all hire Physics majors. However, in order to land one of these more higher paying jobs, students need to go on and get a higher degree than a Bachelor’s. For most, that means getting your Ph.D.

Applied/General Mathematics

The typical starting salary for those who major in Applied or General Mathematics is around $50,000, and later in their careers, the majority of these individuals is about $100,000. The most appealing part of this major, though? The fact that 95 percent of mathematics major are employed after they finish up school. You can’t beat those numbers.

Economics

The average starting salary for an Economics major is $47,000, and later in their careers, these workers usually find themselves earning about $95,000 a year. Even though a lot of Economics majors find well-paying positions with banks and other financial institutions, there are many other possibilities than simply “bank jobs.” Many of these students go on to pursue careers in law, consulting, education, research, and government. Many also do nonprofit and public policy work.

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Written by Chris King

Chris has been writing for TVOvermind, Uncoached, and Worthly for two years and has written about numerous different television shows, news events, and pop culture topics. He is a graduate of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where he majored in English and Film. Contact him through Twitter (@ckinger13).