• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

These Are the Top 10 Highest-Paying College Majors

By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 17, 2016, 12:45 PM ET
Michelle Obama Delivers Commencement Address At The City College Of New York
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 03: Graduating students participate in commencement exercises at City College where First lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement speech after being presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters at City College on June 3, 2016 in New York City. This is the final commencement speech of her tenure as first lady. In her speech Mrs. Obama celebrated City CollegeÕs diverse student body and the struggles that many students endured on the road to graduation. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Photo by Spencer Platt—Getty Images

Good news for college students who major in science and engineering: a new Glassdoor survey shows it pays the most in the first five years after graduation.

Glassdoor analyzed close to half a million resumes in order to curate a list of 50 college majors, only adding those that appeared on at least 400 different resumes. The career site then looked at career progression and corresponding salary data to determine the median base salary for each major—though it didn’t consider career trajectories past the first five years after leaving school.

As one might have guessed, STEM jobs take up many of the top spots—the top 10 is particularly saturated with engineering majors. Liberal arts degrees, like English and Philosophy, have also claimed their place in the top 50, though further down.

Here are Glassdoor’s top 10 highest paying college majors:

10. Management Information Systems—Median base salary: $58,000

9. Nursing—Median base salary: $58,928

8. Statistics—Median base salary: $60,000

7. Civil Engineering—Median base salary: $61,500

6. Information Technology—Median base salary: $64,008

5. Industrial Engineering—Median base salary: $64,381

4. Chemical Engineering—Median base salary: $65,000

3. Mechanical Engineering—Median base salary: $68,000

2. Electrical Engineering—Median base salary: $68,438

1. Computer Science—Median base salary: $70,000

The full list can be found on Glassdoor’s website.

About the Author
By Michal Addady
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.