Ranked

US majors with the lowest graduate earnings

The other end of the same federal data. A low figure is not a verdict on the subject — it is the salary reality to plan your borrowing around.

#MajorLevelGradeMedian earningsTypical rangeGraduates/yr
121 Computer Networking Master's C $68,666 $66,592–$68,666 593
122 Chemical Engineering Bachelor's A $69,338 $60,714–$72,022 8,935
123 Industrial Engineering Bachelor's A $69,710 $63,005–$71,643 5,205
124 Electrical Engineering Bachelor's A $70,456 $66,461–$72,699 15,611
125 Management Information Systems Master's B $90,998 $66,885–$82,440 2,009
126 Business Master's B $80,718 $59,895–$84,653 9,081
127 Civil Engineering Master's B $71,823 $66,169–$74,200 4,960
128 Computer Engineering Bachelor's A $72,828 $63,749–$75,804 12,137
129 Mining and Mineral Engineering Bachelor's A $69,338 $69,338–$74,953 177
130 Information Science/Studies Master's B $76,998 $64,358–$86,867 8,428
131 Systems Engineering Bachelor's A $74,279 $61,020–$74,576 705
132 Finance Master's B $82,993 $64,196–$87,973 4,158
133 Computer Software and Media Applications Master's B $78,971 $61,144–$86,550 3,929
134 Petroleum Engineering Bachelor's A $77,213 $67,380–$80,022 627
135 Biomedical Engineering Master's B $75,706 $63,005–$77,715 3,671
136 Chemical Engineering Master's B $77,401 $73,949–$83,546 1,687
137 Quality Control Master's C $68,880 $73,635–$79,473 717
138 Computer and Information Sciences Master's A $107,758 $71,015–$94,408 29,526
139 Statistics Master's A $103,078 $75,706–$87,604 3,703
140 Mechanical Engineering Master's B $82,882 $75,518–$86,129 7,395
141 Naval Architecture Bachelor's A $89,968 $70,456–$89,968 326
142 Industrial Engineering Master's B $87,604 $70,009–$89,059 2,737
143 Information Technology Management Master's A $97,367 $75,518–$97,071 11,140
144 Aerospace Engineering Master's B $90,856 $81,702–$93,520 2,402
145 Engineering Master's B $90,412 $78,343–$90,412 3,783
146 Pharmacy Master's A $92,124 $76,460–$100,849 1,995
147 Electrical Engineering Master's A $96,775 $82,440–$97,959 9,188
148 Computer Science Master's A $106,421 $78,971–$106,421 22,158
149 Computer Engineering Master's A $109,095 $84,653–$104,192 5,898
150 Nursing Master's A $94,227 $90,678–$105,392 49,755
151 Systems Engineering Master's A $101,072 $95,295–$106,421 2,393
152 Allied Health Master's A $165,486 $89,841–$166,905 504

A low figure is a planning input, not a verdict

Nothing here says these subjects are not worth studying. It says that if you borrow heavily for one of them, the repayment will take a larger share of your pay for longer — so the price of the institution matters more, and scholarships matter more.

Two years out is early for some fields

Subjects that lead into further study or long qualification routes — psychology, biology, fine art, humanities heading to teaching or law — look weakest at this measuring point and often improve substantially later. The data cannot see that; you can.

Questions

Which college majors earn the least?
Computer Networking (Master's) — $66,592 median earnings two years after finishing, across 39 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 Highest paying majors Most popular 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.