The 15 Highest-Paying College Majors (With Real Salary Data)

Picking a college major is one of the biggest financial decisions a student can make. The difference between the highest- and lowest-paying fields amounts to a 314% earnings gap, according to Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Here are the majors that lead the pack, ranked by real salary data.

How We Ranked These Majors

Every figure in this list comes from publicly available salary reports. We used three main sources:

Payscale 2024 College Salary Report: primary source for mid-career medians (workers with 10+ years of experience)
NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Class of 2024 Salary Survey: best data for starting salaries
Federal Reserve Bank of New York “Labor Market for Recent College Graduates”: early and mid-career figures by specific engineering and CS fields

Early-career means 0-5 years in the workforce. Mid-career means 10 or more years. Both numbers matter. A major that leads at graduation can trail behind by year 15.

The Highest-Paying College Majors - Ranked

1. Petroleum Engineering

Early-career: $80,000-$90,000 (NACE / Fed NY estimates)
Mid-career: $212,100 (Payscale 2024)
Typical jobs: Drilling engineer, reservoir engineer, production engineer
Outlook: Oil and gas demand keeps salaries high, but the sector is volatile. Graduates who stick around 10 years see the highest mid-career medians of any bachelor’s degree.

2. Operations Research & Industrial Engineering

Early-career: $76,000-$82,000
Mid-career: $202,600 (Payscale 2024)
Typical jobs: Operations analyst, supply chain manager, logistics engineer
Outlook: Supply chain optimization and data-driven decision making drive demand across manufacturing, retail, and healthcare.

3. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (Dual Major)

Early-career: $88,000-$100,000
Mid-career: $192,300 (Payscale 2024)
Typical jobs: Hardware engineer, systems architect, semiconductor designer
Outlook: Chip design and AI hardware are pushing starting salaries up. A dual major carries a premium over either field alone.

4. Computer Engineering

Early-career: $80,000 (Fed NY)
Mid-career: $122,000 (Fed NY)
Typical jobs: Computer hardware engineer, embedded systems developer, firmware engineer
Outlook: Hardware-software integration is a growth area. Demand is steady, and the field tends to be less offshored than pure software roles.

5. Chemical Engineering

Early-career: $80,000 (Fed NY)
Mid-career: $120,000 (Fed NY)
Typical jobs: Process engineer, chemical analyst, materials scientist
Outlook: Pharma, energy, and materials science keep chemical engineers in demand. The field benefits from the push toward sustainable chemicals and biofuels.

6. Aerospace Engineering

Early-career: $76,000 (Fed NY)
Mid-career: $125,000 (Fed NY)
Typical jobs: Aerospace designer, propulsion engineer, systems test engineer
Outlook: Commercial space, defense contracts, and air vehicle design all feed demand. Government spending cycles create some volatility.

7. Mathematics / Applied Mathematics

Early-career: $60,000-$70,000
Mid-career: $167,500 (Payscale 2024)
Typical jobs: Quantitative analyst, actuary, data scientist, cryptographer
Outlook: Finance and tech regularly recruit mathematicians for quantitative roles. The salary trajectory is steep, and many see big jumps between years 5 and 15.

8. Computer Science

Early-career: $80,000 (Fed NY) / $88,907 average start (NACE)
Mid-career: $115,000 (Fed NY)
Typical jobs: Software engineer, machine learning engineer, cloud architect
Outlook: Tech hiring cycles up and down, but CS remains one of the highest-volume pathways to a six-figure salary. Entry-level saturation in some roles is pushing starting offers back toward the median, while specialized tracks (AI, security) command premiums.

9. Electrical Engineering

Early-career: $78,000 (Fed NY)
Mid-career: $120,000 (Fed NY)
Typical jobs: Power systems engineer, control systems engineer, RF engineer
Outlook: The renewable energy buildout (solar, wind, grid storage) is creating fresh demand for electrical engineers with power electronics backgrounds.

10. Mechanical Engineering

Early-career: $70,000-$76,000
Mid-career: $115,000 (Fed NY)
Typical jobs: Mechanical designer, automotive engineer, thermal systems engineer
Outlook: Versatile across automotive, manufacturing, robotics, and HVAC. Mid-career salaries are solid but trail other engineering fields, partly due to the sheer number of graduates.

11. Economics / Quantitative Economics

Early-career: ~$60,000
Mid-career: ~$130,000-$165,000 (Payscale 2024)
Typical jobs: Financial analyst, economist, policy researcher
Outlook: Economics is the clearest mid-career surprise on this list. Starting salaries look modest, but quantitative economics graduates who move into finance or consulting regularly outpace mechanical and even some electrical engineers by year 10.

12. Finance

Early-career: $65,000-$75,000
Mid-career: $100,000-$130,000
Typical jobs: Investment analyst, corporate financier, risk manager
Outlook: Finance rewards pedigree and credentials. Graduates who land at large banks or private equity firms see earnings diverge sharply from the median, but the median itself is solid.

13. Nursing / Healthcare

Early-career: $63,608 average start (NACE healthcare professions)
Mid-career: $80,000-$100,000 (BLS)
Typical jobs: Registered nurse, nurse practitioner, healthcare administrator
Outlook: Healthcare is recession-resistant and growing. Nurse practitioners and specialized RNs command higher pay. The NACE average starting salary for all healthcare professions sits at $63,608.

14. Information Systems

Early-career: $60,000-$75,000
Mid-career: $100,000-$120,000
Typical jobs: IT manager, business analyst, systems administrator
Outlook: More business-facing than Computer Science. IS graduates bridge technology and operations, making them attractive to enterprise employers. Salary growth is steady but not dramatic.

15. Accounting

Early-career: $55,000-$65,000
Mid-career: $95,000-$110,000
Typical jobs: CPA, financial auditor, corporate accountant
Outlook: Every organization needs accounting. CPA certification pushes mid-career pay well above the median. Public accounting firms offer lower starting pay but faster growth.

STEM vs Non-STEM: What the Data Says

STEM dominates at graduation. According to NACE, the Class of 2024 average starting salary across all majors is $65,677. Engineering averages $76,736 and computer and information sciences average $88,907. Healthcare professions sit at $63,608, and business at $68,644.

Mid-career, the picture shifts. STEM majors overall enter the workforce at around $43,000 versus $29,000 for arts and humanities majors (Georgetown CEW). But economics and mathematics graduates who move into quantitative finance or data science can close or exceed the gap with some engineering subfields by year 10.

Finance and nursing are the most reliable non-STEM pathways to a comfortable salary. Both have clear credentialing routes (CPA, RN) that directly boost earning power.

Starting Salary vs Mid-Career: Why Both Numbers Matter

A petroleum engineer graduating today might start around $85,000. By mid-career, they could be at $212,100. That trajectory looks unbeatable, but it depends on a sector that has historically boomed and busted.

A computer science graduate might start at $88,907 (NACE average). By mid-career, they sit around $115,000. The peak comes earlier, and the curve flattens unless they move into management or a specialized niche.

Mathematics and economics graduates often start below the overall average. But by year 10, those who moved into finance or tech quant roles regularly hit $130,000-$165,000. The early-career salary tells you what the job market will pay when you graduate. The mid-career number tells you where the path leads.

For students still deciding, the most useful question is not “which major pays the most on day one?” but “where do I want to be in 10 years, and which path gets me there?”

Frequently Asked Questions

What college major makes the most money? Petroleum engineering has the highest mid-career median of any bachelor’s degree at $212,100, according to Payscale’s 2024 College Salary Report. Operations Research & Industrial Engineering comes second at $202,600.

Do engineering majors always out-earn business majors? At graduation, yes. Engineering averages $76,736 versus $68,644 for business (NACE 2024). But by mid-career, quantitative economics and finance graduates in finance or consulting roles regularly match or surpass many engineering subfields.

What’s the highest-paying non-STEM degree? Economics and finance lead non-STEM mid-career earnings. Quantitative economics graduates see medians around $165,100 (Payscale 2024), and finance professionals who advance into management or specialized roles can exceed that.

Is a high-paying major worth the debt? Georgetown CEW data shows college graduates earn 37% more than high school diploma holders overall. The ROI varies by major and institution. Petroleum engineering and nursing both repay tuition quickly. Lower-paying fields like the arts may take longer, so cost of attendance matters as much as expected salary when evaluating options.

Bottom Line

The highest-paying college majors are concentrated in STEM, with petroleum engineering and operations research leading mid-career medians. But the early-career picture looks different from the mid-career one. Economics and mathematics graduates who land in finance or data roles can outpace some engineering fields within a decade. The best choice depends on where you want to be, not just where you start.