Starting Salaries by Major
Choosing a college major can be the first step toward a career you love. Check out our list of average starting salaries for different career fields.
Using your skills, following your passion, and earning a paycheck in a career you love are all part of growing up and learning to “adult.” What’s the right career for you? Picking a specific college major is one way to begin to explore your interests, cultivate passions, and find direction on your way to doing what you love in your working life after college.
And while higher education can come with significant costs, the reward is a greater chance of getting and keeping a job in the long term, according to the U.S. Department of Education. What’s more, the BLS reports that a worker with a bachelor’s degree of any kind earns a median weekly income of about $1,334 — that’s $525 more a week than those with a high school diploma alone at $809.
With that kind of incentive, you may feel a little more energy as you head to those 8 a.m. classes and pull all-nighters during finals week.
As you’re mapping your future and choosing a field of study, you’re probably more than mildly curious about the differences in salaries by major. PayScale is a good resource for finding jobs and viewing potential salary ranges — helping you discover your earning potential.
Remember: Many factors affect what you’ll ultimately earn, including your region of the country, which company hires you, and overall conditions in the economy.
Starting salary ranges by category
| Engineering majors | Starting salary |
|---|---|
| Biomedical engineering | $66,125 |
| Environmental engineering | $66,442 |
| Civil management | $66,732 |
| Industrial/Manufacturing engineering | $68,963 |
| Materials Engineering/Science | $71,382 |
| Nuclear engineering | $72,000 |
| Mechanical engineering | $72,825 |
| Engineering technology | $72,933 |
| Chemical engineering | $74,440 |
| Electrical engineering | $75,558 |
| Systems engineering | $75,999 |
| Computer engineering | $76,029 |
| Aerospace/Aeronautical engineering | $77,882 |
| Software engineering | $78,482 |
| Petroleum engineering | $85,260 |
| Humanities majors | Starting salary |
|---|---|
| Area and gender studies | $48,700 |
| Foreign language and literature | $48,700 |
| Visual and performing arts | $48,700 |
| History | $49,332 |
| Philosophy | $51,911 |
| Liberal arts/general studies | $52,089 |
| English language and literature | $52,179 |
| Social science majors | Starting salary |
|---|---|
| Sociology | $52,922 |
| Political science/international relations | $57,170 |
| Psychology | $62,294 |
| Economics | $64,193 |
| Mathematics and science majors | Starting salary |
|---|---|
| Biology and biological sciences | $58,701 |
| Geology and geological sciences | $62,622 |
| Environmental science | $63,960 |
| Chemistry | $66,156 |
| Mathematics and statistics | $68,572 |
| Physics | $71,467 |
| Business majors | Starting salary |
|---|---|
| Human resources | $57,357 |
| International business | $57,841 |
| Sales | $59,452 |
| Business administration and management | $59,514 |
| Marketing | $59,652 |
| Accounting | $59,884 |
| Finance | $60,776 |
| Logistics and supply chain | $61,798 |
| Actuarial science | $65,543 |
| Management information systems | $66,117 |
*Data above shows mean salaries.
Source: NACE Salary Survey, Winter 2022
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