Its time to do your math homework, kids. if you want your college education to pay off, major in engineering. Call it the economic guide to choosing a major. While English, art history and zoology majors certainly do receive a valuable education, all that work may not result in a job upon graduation. And that can be a big problem when it comes to paying back student loans. FiveThirtyEight combed through detailed data on college graduates, 173 majors and their subsequent employment to find out the majors that resulted in the highest- and lowest-earning salaries. Top 10 college majors with the highest-earning median salaries: 1. Petroleum engineering: $110,000 2. Mining and mineral engineering: $75,000 3. Metallurgical engineering: $73,000 4. Naval architecture and marine engineering: $70,000 5. Chemical engineering and nuclear engineering: $65,000 (tie) 7. Actuarial science and astronomy/astrophysics: $62,000 (tie) 9. Mechanical engineering and electrical engineering: $60,000 (tie) Top 10 college majors with the lowest-earning median salaries: 1. Library science: $22,000 2. Counseling psychology: $23,400 3. Clinical psychology and educational psychology: $25,000 (tie) 5. Zoology: $26,000 6. Composition and rhetoric and drama and theater arts: $27,000 (tie) 8. Foreign languages: $27,500 9. Early childhood education and communication disorders sciences and services: $28,000 (tie) FiveThirtyEight offers these tips for prospective college students: A college degree is not a guarantee of employment, but you can boost your odds of getting a regular paycheck by choosing the right major. Dont assume all STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) majors are the same. A science major, especially in the life sciences, may not result in employment unless college is followed by graduate school or medical school. If you major in drama, be prepared to wait tables. The most popular major is psychology even though it pays a below-average median wage of $31,500. If you are not talented in math and science, consider studying court reporting, food science or public policy, all of which have median earnings at or above $50,000.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 13:53:04 +0000
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