Earning big with education: The 57 highest-paying majors in 2023
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The average starting salary across the 57 highest-paying majors is $81,301.
Operations Research tops the list with a salary of $109,267.
51% of the highest-paying majors are engineering disciplines.
The most widely available high-paying major is Registered Nursing.
Choosing a college major? It’s a huge decision that can shape your future. In fact, your major might even have a bigger impact on your financial future than the specific college you attend.
Across the board, the average starting salary 4 years after graduation for all majors is $54,709. However, the 57 highest-paying majors we’ve compiled here exceed that average by 39%. That’s a substantial difference, especially when you’re first launching your career.
About half of these high-earning majors fall under the umbrella of engineering. And while many of these majors are widely available across colleges, some are a bit more rare, offering a glimpse into unique niches with high earning potential.
We understand that a college degree isn’t only about money. However, given the burden of student debt and the financial pressures many graduates face, earning potential is an important factor to consider.
Let’s delve into the 57 majors that offer the highest starting salaries in 2023.
Majors that pay $90K+
These majors present remarkable early-career opportunities for students. The highest-paid major overall is Operations Research, a specialized field focused on using statistical analysis and mathematical modeling to improve complex decision making. Or perhaps the sea is calling you? Consider Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, or Marine Transportation. Recent tech layoffs may have you worried, but Computer Engineering continues to offer impressive earnings, and Computer Science is the highest-paid non-engineering major.
| Major | Median starting salary | Number of programs |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Operations Research | $109,267 | 4 |
| 2. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering | $107,037 | 6 |
| 3. Marine Transportation | $103,626 | 5 |
| 4. Computer Science | $99,158 | 281 |
| 5. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | $98,604 | 17 |
| 6. Petroleum Engineering | $97,850 | 19 |
| 7. Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering | $90,590 | 232 |
| 8. Systems Engineering | $90,211 | 12 |
| 9. Computer Engineering | $90,189 | 164 |
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Majors that pay $80K+
Majors in the $80K+ category are also focused in STEM fields. Engineering continues to dominate, including traditional fields like Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, as well as narrower niches like Electromechanical Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering.
| Major | Median starting salary | Number of programs |
|---|---|---|
| 10. Mining and Mineral Engineering | $87,167 | 8 |
| 11. Chemical Engineering | $86,902 | 147 |
| 12. Mathematics and Statistics, Other | $86,529 | 6 |
| 13. Industrial Engineering | $86,315 | 75 |
| 14. Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering | $85,836 | 57 |
| 15. Construction Engineering | $84,907 | 9 |
| 16. Electromechanical Engineering | $84,177 | 1 |
| 17. Construction Engineering Technologies | $83,595 | 29 |
| 18. Nuclear Engineering | $83,550 | 11 |
| 19. Mechanical Engineering | $82,261 | 277 |
| 20. Computer and Information Sciences, General | $82,099 | 283 |
| 21. Engineering, Other | $81,872 | 13 |
| 22. Construction Management | $81,845 | 43 |
| 23. Mathematics and Computer Science | $81,098 | 7 |
| 24. Metallurgical Engineering | $80,681 | 2 |
| 25. Biomedical/Medical Engineering | $80,320 | 11 |
Majors that pay $70K+
Don’t balk at these majors – earning $70K and up shortly after graduation is incredibly impressive. You can’t get away from engineering – but we do see more variety here, including Systems Science – the interdisciplinary study of complex systems of all kinds – as well as Registered Nursing, Building Management, Finance, and Fire Protection. Economics may be the closest you can get to a non-STEM major, though it was recently reclassified as STEM at some colleges owing to the fact that it’s becoming increasingly math-heavy.
| Major | Median starting salary | Number of programs |
|---|---|---|
| 27. Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $79,871 | 3 |
| 28. Systems Science and Theory | $79,870 | 5 |
| 29. Ocean Engineering | $79,776 | 4 |
| 30. Engineering, General | $79,583 | 38 |
| 31. Engineering Mechanics | $79,283 | 3 |
| 32. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $78,415 | 628 |
| 33. Engineering Science | $77,649 | 9 |
| 34. Materials Engineering | $77,514 | 35 |
| 35. Civil Engineering | $76,683 | 206 |
| 36. Materials Sciences | $76,239 | 2 |
| 37. Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $75,554 | 22 |
| 38. Statistics | $74,691 | 43 |
| 39. Engineering-Related Fields | $74,350 | 25 |
| 40. Applied Mathematics | $73,993 | 43 |
| 41. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | $73,793 | 13 |
| 42. Information Science/Studies | $73,606 | 66 |
| 43. Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other | $73,501 | 7 |
| 44. Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies | $73,497 | 1 |
| 45. Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering | $73,215 | 4 |
| 46. Insurance | $73,001 | 17 |
| 47. Manufacturing Engineering | $72,630 | 13 |
| 48. Management Information Systems and Services | $72,479 | 98 |
| 49. Agricultural Engineering | $72,155 | 22 |
| 50. Economics | $72,055 | 356 |
| 51. Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | $71,796 | 5 |
| 52. Fire Protection | $71,682 | 12 |
| 53. Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $71,579 | 9 |
| 54. Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies | $70,652 | 1 |
| 55. Finance and Financial Management Services | $70,622 | 362 |
| 56. Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $70,413 | 39 |
| 57. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $70,281 | 82 |
Data sources:
All the numbers in this article are based on 2 Department of Education sources – College Scorecard and IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). The data was most recently updated in April 2023 and is based on weighted average salaries 4 years after students graduated.
The highest-paying degrees aren’t always the most popular
You may be surprised to learn that the highest-paying majors aren’t necessarily the most popular. According to “conferral numbers” (how many people actually earned a degree), these are the top 10 most popular majors:
| Major | Conferrals | Median starting salary | Number of programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Business Administration, Management and Operations | 114,704 | $55,476 | 835 |
| 2. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 107,366 | $78,415 | 628 |
| 3. Psychology, General | 91,347 | $42,996 | 791 |
| 4. Biology, General | 71,688 | $47,372 | 726 |
| 5. Communication and Media Studies | 43,010 | $48,109 | 513 |
| 6. Health and Physical Education/Fitness | 39,125 | $45,738 | 456 |
| 7. Finance and Financial Management Services | 38,470 | $70,622 | 362 |
| 8. Accounting and Related Services | 36,397 | $60,150 | 530 |
| 9. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 35,481 | $41,094 | 547 |
| 10. Marketing | 34,492 | $57,235 | 402 |
As you can see, Nursing and Finance are the only top-10 majors in terms of popularity that also made our highest-paying majors list.
Two of these most popular majors – Biology and Psychology – recently made our list of most useless degrees (a cheeky claim, but find out why).
Limitations on the data
While we encourage students to consider potential earnings when choosing a major, it’s important to keep these things in mind:
- These are short-term earnings. We can’t know how your career path will develop. You may not have a great salary a few years after college if you majored in English, but if you end up as a communications manager at a leading company 10 years later – your earnings can compete with those of an engineering major any day.
- These starting salaries don’t account for what people actually do after college. At this time, we can’t track if people got into the same field they majored in. However, these numbers do provide a good estimate of short-term earnings with different majors.
The role of grad school
You’ll notice that engineering fields are overrepresented in this list. This is partly because you can become a bonafide engineer with just a bachelor’s degree. Few majors except nursing offer a similar level of expertise and seniority straight out of college.
Most other fields require years of experience or a high earning graduate degree to get there. If you plan on going to grad school, these salary numbers should be less influential in your choice of major.
Other considerations
Here are a few other important things to consider when exploring the highest-paying majors.
What you bring to the table
Being interested in and good at your chosen field will play a huge role in how well you do academically and professionally. Engineering is an extremely lucrative and popular major, but dropout rates are high. The prospect of high earnings may be compromised if you don’t graduate or secure a job in the field.
Will you be able to find work?
You should also consider job demand – the Bureau of Labor Statistics website is a great source for that.
Impacted majors
Most of the top-earning majors are extremely competitive. Often, these fields are not open for application until your sophomore or junior year in college, and acceptance rates can be low, with the most sought-after programs admitting as few as 10% of applicants.
Your financial aid
If you got a full-ride scholarship – congratulations! You can breathe a sigh of relief and focus less on starting salaries.
Your college
If your major typically has a lower starting salary, it’s particularly important to choose a high-value school to help you comfortably manage the cost of your education.
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