Ranked

Highest paying college majors in the US

Ranked on what graduates earn two years after finishing — every major we hold federal earnings for, best first.

#MajorLevelGradeMedian earningsTypical rangeGraduates/yr
201 Cognitive Science Bachelor's C $41,870 $28,960–$41,870 2,797
202 Geography Bachelor's C $36,668 $31,133–$38,829 3,429
203 Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Bachelor's C $35,416 $30,771–$36,848 827
204 Rhetoric and Composition & Writing Studies Master's F $35,701 $30,771–$40,485 4,134
205 International Relations Bachelor's C $38,889 $30,305–$40,467 8,079
206 Computer Software and Media Applications Bachelor's C $37,424 $29,887–$44,170 4,223
207 Geological Bachelor's C $34,259 $31,081–$39,369 5,018
208 Environmental & Natural Resources Management Bachelor's D $31,640 $30,499–$39,741 1,427
209 Criminal Justice Bachelor's C $35,274 $31,205–$37,208 48,051
210 Community Organization and Advocacy Bachelor's C $34,586 $30,409–$36,387 1,550
211 Microbiology Bachelor's D $33,459 $29,685–$38,289 3,108
212 Design and Applied Arts Bachelor's C $35,630 $29,685–$39,369 19,612
213 Political Science Bachelor's C $35,213 $29,751–$37,896 41,107
214 Education Bachelor's C $33,993 $29,374–$37,671 6,888
215 Criminology Bachelor's D $33,926 $31,673–$37,478 9,264
216 Communications Bachelor's C $35,535 $29,685–$37,208 44,591
217 Public Health Bachelor's C $33,993 $30,616–$37,208 19,105
218 Gerontology Bachelor's C $34,942 $30,228–$35,060 163
219 Social Sciences Bachelor's C $34,704 $29,565–$37,568 5,560
220 Cell & Cellular Biology Bachelor's D $33,043 $27,494–$37,208 4,605
221 Dietetics and Nutrition Bachelor's D $31,928 $27,642–$36,134 2,467
222 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Bachelor's C $36,848 $29,685–$42,682 499
223 Drama & Theatre Arts and Stagecraft Master's F $32,925 $26,353–$38,597 1,750
224 Genetics Bachelor's C $34,704 $29,593–$34,847 738
225 Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Bachelor's D $31,848 $28,236–$36,674 12,089
226 Journalism Bachelor's C $34,704 $29,183–$35,843 10,025
227 Biological and Physical Sciences Bachelor's F $29,685 $27,301–$33,138 2,426
228 Social Work Bachelor's D $32,569 $29,250–$34,244 20,205
229 Allied Health Bachelor's D $30,988 $32,162–$32,162 949
230 International & Globalization Studies Bachelor's C $34,660 $27,822–$36,049 5,169
231 Mental and Social Health Services Bachelor's D $31,382 $29,685–$35,060 2,850
232 Liberal Arts and Sciences Bachelor's D $32,467 $27,552–$35,060 37,719
233 Film and Photography Master's F $31,673 $26,353–$35,823 1,871
234 Health Services Bachelor's D $31,818 $28,598–$36,141 19,233
235 Foods, Nutrition Bachelor's D $31,042 $28,019–$35,060 2,117
236 Sociology Bachelor's D $32,569 $28,236–$34,847 25,941
237 Behavioral Sciences Bachelor's D $30,317 $29,771–$32,925 1,743
238 Parks, Recreation Bachelor's D $31,133 $28,816–$34,298 1,876
239 Natural Resources and Conservation Bachelor's D $32,284 $27,476–$36,221 17,590
240 Clinical, Counseling Bachelor's D $32,925 $28,417–$36,077 4,401

Why engineering, computing and health lead every list like this

The majors at the top feed occupations with a licence, a shortage, or both. That is a fact about the labour market rather than about the difficulty of the subject — and it is why the same handful of fields tops this table in every country that publishes graduate earnings.

The gap inside a major is wider than the gap between majors

Each row is a median across every US programme in that field. Open any one and the range between the 25th and 75th programme is often $20,000 or more. Where you study, and what you do alongside the degree, moves your number more than swapping subjects does.

Questions

What is the highest paying college major?
Cognitive Science (Bachelor's) — $35,601 median earnings two years after finishing, across 66 US programmes.
Are these starting salaries?
No. They are median earnings two years after students completed the degree, taken from tax records rather than surveys or job adverts.
Can I compare a master's with a bachelor's here?
Only with care. Each grade is a percentile inside its own credential level, so an A master's and an A bachelor's are both top-of-their-level rather than equal in salary.
All degree grades Most popular majors Lowest earning majors University costs & payback Scholarships

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study earnings, measured two years after completion. Majors with too few programmes publishing earnings are left out rather than estimated.