It might not take a rocket scientist to guess which college majors lead to the highest paying jobs, but being one would put you near the top of the salary pyramid. That’s because the so-called STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) dominate the 30 highest paying jobs. So parents would do well to make sure the kids pay attention in all those math and science classes.
If the humanities are more your speed, philosophy majors have the highest earning potential after 10 years of experience.
The rankings below are based on data collected by PayScale.com from 1,000 universities and include graduates with bachelor’s degrees in 207 disciplines. The universities surveyed include 86 percent of U.S. schools with an enrollment of more than 5,000 and 56 percent of schools with enrollment over 1,000.
Take a look at the 30 Best Paying College Majors for 2015, ranked by starting salary:
30. Applied Mathematics
Starting Salary: $54,300
Mid-Career Salary: $96,500 (21st)
29. Supply Chain Management
Starting Salary: $54,800
Mid-Career Salary: $83,600 (51st)
28. Statistics
Starting Salary: $54,900
Mid-Career Salary: $103,100 (14th)
27. Civil Engineering
Salary: $55,100
Mid-Career Salary: $93,400 (24th)
26. Civil & Environmental Engineering
Starting Salary: $55,900
Mid-Career Salary: $91,800 (27th)
25. Management Information Systems
Starting Salary: $56,300
Mid-Career Salary: $95,500 (22nd)
24. Mechanical Engineering Technology
Starting Salary: $56,600
Mid-Career Salary: $85,400 (44th, tie)
23. (tie) Business & Information Technology
Starting Salary: $56,900
Mid-Career Salary: $99,100 (18th)
23. (tie) Nursing
Starting Salary: $56,900
Mid-Career Salary: $73,600 (89th)
21. Architectural Engineering
Starting Salary: $57,000
Mid-Career Salary: $90,400 (28th, tie)
20. Physics
Starting Salary: $57,200
Mid-Career Salary: $105,100 (11th, tie)
19. Electrical Engineering Technology
Starting Salary: $58,900
Mid-Career Salary: $88,200 (39th)
18. Biomedical Engineering
Starting Salary: $59,600
Mid-Career Salary: $92,200 (32nd, tie)
17. Business Information Systems
Starting Salary: $59,800
Mid-Career Salary: $85,100 (32nd, tie)
16. Actuarial Mathematics
Starting Salary: $60,800
Mid-Career Salary: $119,600 (2nd)
15. Computer Science
Starting Salary: $61,600
Mid-Career Salary: $103,600 (13th)
14. Software Engineering
Starting Salary: $61,700
Mid-Career Salary: $99,800 (17th)
13. Industrial Engineering
Starting Salary: $61,900
Mid-Career Salary: $97,200 (20th)
12. Mechanical Engineering
Starting Salary: $62,100
Mid-Career Salary: $101,600 (15th)
11. Computer Science & Mathematics
Starting Salary: $63,200
Mid-Career Salary: $101,400 (16th)
10. Materials Science & Engineering
Starting Salary: $64,000
Mid-Career Salary: $105,100 (11th)
9. Electronics & Communications Engineering
Starting Salary: $64,100
Mid-Career Salary: $113,200 (5th)
8. Aerospace Engineering
Starting Salary: $64,700
Mid-Career Salary: $107,900 (9th, tie)
7. Electrical Engineering
Starting Salary: $65,900
Mid-Career Salary: $107,900 (9th, tie)
6. Electrical & Computer Engineering
Starting Salary: $66,500
Mid-Career Salary: $113,000 (6th)
5. Computer Science & Engineering
Starting Salary: $66,700
Mid-Career Salary: $112,600 (6th, tie)
4. Nuclear Engineering
Starting Salary: $67,000
Mid-Career Salary: $118,800 (3rd)
3. Computer Engineering
Starting Salary: $67,300
Mid-Career Salary: $108,600 (8th)
2. Chemical Engineering
Starting Salary: $69,600
Mid-Career Salary: $116,700 (4th)
1. Petroleum Engineering
Starting Salary: $102,300
Mid-Career Salary: $176,300 (1st)
