10 college majors with the highest starting salaries

Going to college provides an opportunity to not only earn a degree, but also boost earning potential in the real world.

The median usual weekly earnings for a worker in the U.S. with a bachelor’s degree is $1,156 compared with $692 for someone who has only earned a high school diploma, according to 2016 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some degrees pay off more than others. According to PayScale data — which, for the first time, can be found on U.S. News profile pages for 1,000 schools — these are the 10 majors with the highest median starting salaries for alumni with 0-5 years of postgrad experience whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, along with the schools where graduates earn the most in those fields.

Engineer Showing Apprentice How to Use Drill In Factory
10. Mechanical Engineering Median starting salary: $64,394 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: United States Naval Academy (MD) U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 21 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges (Thinkstock)
9. Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Median starting salary: $66,771 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: Mississippi State University U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 171 (tie), National Universities (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Engineer setup testing machine
8. Materials Engineering Median starting salary: $66,967 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: Stanford University (CA) U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 5 (tie), National Universities (Thinkstock)
Internet connection. Confident professional female technician looking at the USB cables and checking them while working in the data center
7. Systems Engineering Median starting salary: $68,055 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: United States Naval Academy (MD) U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 21 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges (Thinkstock)
Young woman in uniform repairing something with screwdriver
6. Electrical Engineering Median starting salary: $68,147 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: Cornell University (NY) U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 14 (tie), National Universities (Thinkstock)
Man and woman using computer together
5. Mathematics & Computer Science Median starting salary: $68,893 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: University of Washington U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 56 (tie), National Universities (Thinkstock)
Close up on microchip catching with tweezers on circuit board. Selective focus on chip.
4. Computer Engineering Median starting salary: $69,537 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: Massachusetts Institute of Technology U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 5 (tie), National Universities (Thinkstock)
Ein laufendes Atomkraftwerk gegen den Abendhimmel fotografiert.
3. Nuclear Engineering Median starting salary: $69,885 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: University of Tennessee U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 103 (tie), National Universities (Thinkstock)
African scientist, medical worker, tech or graduate student works in modern biological laboratory
2. Chemical Engineering Median starting salary: $70,658 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: University of Houston U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 192 (tie), National Universities (Thinkstock)
1. Petroleum Engineering Median starting salary: $96,273 College with highest median alumni starting salary for this major: University of Wyoming U.S. News Best Colleges rank: 181 (tie), National Universities (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
(1/10)
Engineer Showing Apprentice How to Use Drill In Factory
Engineer setup testing machine
Internet connection. Confident professional female technician looking at the USB cables and checking them while working in the data center
Young woman in uniform repairing something with screwdriver
Man and woman using computer together
Close up on microchip catching with tweezers on circuit board. Selective focus on chip.
Ein laufendes Atomkraftwerk gegen den Abendhimmel fotografiert.
African scientist, medical worker, tech or graduate student works in modern biological laboratory

Find the right school for your major

Get more information about how to choose a college, and find out where college graduates end up once they leave campus. For more advice and information on how to select a college, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.

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10 college majors with the highest starting salaries originally appeared on usnews.com

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