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
41 Management Information Systems Master's A $90,998 $66,885–$82,440 2,009
42 Electrical Engineering Bachelor's A $70,456 $66,461–$72,699 15,611
43 Industrial Engineering Bachelor's A $69,710 $63,005–$71,643 5,205
44 Building & Construction Finishing Bachelor's A $67,660 $67,660–$69,338 251
45 Legal Research Master's B $73,949 $51,607–$83,325 9,029
46 Chemical Engineering Bachelor's A $69,338 $60,714–$72,022 8,935
47 Biomathematics Master's B $78,343 $63,005–$71,575 1,991
48 Computer Networking Master's C $68,666 $66,592–$68,666 593
49 Physics Master's B $71,575 $53,984–$71,575 2,152
50 Computer Science Bachelor's A $72,286 $57,995–$74,576 43,677
51 Environmental Engineering Master's C $67,660 $59,169–$67,660 830
52 Architectural Engineering Bachelor's A $66,240 $63,005–$67,324 834
53 Materials Engineering Bachelor's A $66,541 $62,012–$68,219 1,305
54 Aerospace Engineering Bachelor's A $65,029 $61,380–$67,995 6,195
55 Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's A $66,004 $61,218–$68,219 33,840
56 Construction Management Bachelor's A $65,131 $61,020–$68,219 2,911
57 Biological and Physical Sciences Master's C $64,791 $37,363–$64,791 551
58 Business Administration Master's B $69,218 $55,964–$78,719 119,231
59 Economics Master's B $70,596 $57,318–$70,596 5,317
60 Business Management Master's B $76,460 $46,478–$82,440 1,178
61 Construction Engineering Technology & Technician Bachelor's A $66,060 $58,673–$68,422 2,830
62 Biotechnology Master's C $67,772 $50,856–$77,715 1,832
63 Healthcare Administration Master's C $62,012 $52,941–$71,015 15,738
64 Computer Programming Bachelor's B $55,422 $52,941–$62,260 2,492
65 Human Computer Interaction Bachelor's F $23,456 $36,848–$69,732 892
66 Electrical & Electronic Engineering Technology Bachelor's B $61,702 $53,358–$63,749 1,362
67 Rehabilitation Master's C $63,600 $46,087–$66,941 8,046
68 Engineering Bachelor's A $63,997 $57,318–$65,573 2,693
69 Engineering Science Bachelor's A $66,169 $58,221–$63,005 501
70 Nuclear Engineering Bachelor's B $63,005 $49,644–$66,287 427
71 Civil Engineering Bachelor's B $61,814 $57,318–$63,921 14,335
72 Engineering Physics Bachelor's A $69,338 $47,260–$61,218 691
73 Accounting Master's C $61,516 $57,318–$64,493 15,854
74 Quality Control Bachelor's A $66,969 $56,776–$60,213 1,482
75 Homeland Security Master's B $71,295 $47,260–$71,295 2,009
76 Biomedical Engineering Bachelor's B $60,771 $48,823–$66,611 8,820
77 Marketing Master's C $56,641 $46,087–$76,460 3,059
78 Drafting & Design Engineering Technology Bachelor's B $54,154 $45,277–$64,706 354
79 Mechanical Engineering Related Technology Bachelor's B $59,711 $54,463–$62,508 2,611
80 Computer and Information Sciences Bachelor's A $66,111 $50,439–$67,660 44,025

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?
Management Information Systems (Master's) — $69,535 median earnings two years after finishing, across 152 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.