The top paying bachelor's degrees will give your career a fast start.
With an increasing number of students graduating with college degrees, the expectations of employers rises accordingly. Completing a standard bachelor's program might not carry the same weight as it once did, but there are still a variety of four-year degrees that provide a path to careers with lucrative starting salaries. Students interested in choosing a degree based simply on profit potential will want to focus on a few specific majors.
Engineering
Seven of the top 10 paying bachelor's degrees go to engineering majors, according to the Payscale 2010-11 College Salary Report. These occupations include petroleum engineering, aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear engineering, biomedical engineering and computer engineering. The general duties of all engineers include the application of science and mathematical principles to technical problems. Their work is the link between scientific discoveries and the commercial applications that meet consumer needs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Starting salaries range widely based on engineer type, from $50,000 to $80,000 a year typically.
Computer Science
Majors in computer science usually go on to hold careers in information technology, software development or programming. The average starting salary of a computer science major is around $54,000, according to CNBC as of 2010, putting it high on the list of the best paying bachelor's degrees. Workers in this career field typically spend long periods of time in office or laboratory environments solving complex problems ranging from general computing issues to business and scientific issues. They might create new technology or attempt to discover improvements for current technology.
Accounting
Accounting majors make an average starting salary of $47,000, according to Payscale as of early 2011. Common career options include working as an accountant, financial controller or chief financial manager. Accountants might work on a staff of a corporation or serve as a certified public accountant depending on personal preference. In any capacity, accounting majors are trained to update and maintain financial records, working extensively with calculators and spreadsheets. Specific job duties can range from general bookkeeping to a particular specialization such as monitoring loans.
Business Administration
Careers following a bachelor's degree in business administration are wide ranging, depending on the interest of the student. Those who prefer the financial side of business have many of the same options as finance majors with future careers in financial planning and credit analysis. Students more drawn to the interactive side of business enter careers like public administration or job analysis. While a Master of Business Administration opens more doors in the business field, graduates holding four-year degrees still average about $44,000 a year starting out, according to Payscale.
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