According to Payscale, there are 130 majors that colleges offer. For those starting college or going back to school, choosing a major can be a daunting task. Based on data from 1,000 universities and graduates with bachelor’s degrees only, listed here are the top-paying 25 college majors for 2013. The mid-career salary reflects pay 15 years in the job. The universities surveyed include 88 percent of U.S. schools with enrollment of at least 5,000. <\/p>\n
24) Medical technology. Starting salary: $49,600, mid-career salary: $60,200 (86th, tie) <\/p>\n
23) Industrial technology. Starting salary: $49,700, mid-career salary: $81,300 (36th) <\/p>\n
22) Supply chain management. Starting salary: $50,500, mid-career salary: $76,700 (42nd, tie) <\/p>\n
21) Applied mathematics. Starting salary: $50,800, mid-career salary: $102,000 (eighth) <\/p>\n
20) Information systems. Starting salary: $50,900, mid-career salary: $86,700 (27th) <\/p>\n
19) Physics. Starting salary: $51,200, mid-career salary: $99,100 (11th) <\/p>\n
18) Management information systems. Starting salary: $51,600, mid-career salary: $88,600 (23rd) <\/p>\n
17) Mechanical engineering technology. Starting salary: $52,900, mid-career salary: $83,400 (33rd) <\/p>\n
16) Civil engineering. Starting salary: $53,800, mid-career salary: $88,800 (22nd) <\/p>\n
15) Nursing. Starting salary: $54,100, mid-career salary: $70,200 (61st, tie) <\/p>\n
14) Biomedical engineering. Starting salary: $54,900, mid-career salary: $98,200 (13th) <\/p>\n
13) Actuarial mathematics. Starting salary: $56,100, mid-career salary: $112,000 (third) <\/p>\n
12) Computer science. Starting salary: $58,400, mid-career salary: $100,000 (ninth) <\/p>\n
11) Electrical engineering technology. Starting salary: $58,400, mid-career salary: $86,900 (26th) <\/p>\n
10) Software engineering. Starting salary: $59,100, mid-career salary: $90,700 (19th) <\/p>\n
9) Industrial engineering. Starting salary: $59,900, mid-career salary: $91,200 (18th) <\/p>\n
7) (tie) Mechanical engineering. Starting salary: $60,100, mid-career salary: $98,400 (12th) <\/p>\n
7) (tie) Materials science and engineering. Starting salary: $60,100, mid-career salary: $91,900 (17th) <\/p>\n
6) Aerospace engineering. Starting salary: $62,500, mid-career salary: $118,000 (second) <\/p>\n
5) Computer engineering. Starting salary: $62,700, mid-career salary: $105,000 (seventh) <\/p>\n
4) Electrical engineering. Starting salary: $63,400, mid-career salary: $106,000 (sixth) <\/p>\n
3) Nuclear engineering. Starting salary: $66,800, mid-career salary: $107,000 (fifth) <\/p>\n
2) Chemical engineering. Starting salary: $67,500, mid-career salary: $111,000 (fourth)<\/p>\n
1) Petroleum engineering. Starting salary: $98,000, mid-career salary: $163,000 (1st)<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) majors have the biggest payday. The lowest paying major is child and family studies, with a starting salary of $29,300 and mid-career salary of $37,700. Although the lower-paying majors tend to be in the arts, according to Forbes, <\/I>liberal arts majors “are as satisfied or more satisfied with their lives as their classmates in other disciplines.” One tip is to pick a minor or second major to increase marketability so you can still do what you love and make money! These are based on undergraduate degrees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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