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
81 Information Science & Studies Bachelor's B $63,243 $47,440–$63,243 9,602
82 Computer Engineering Technology Bachelor's B $50,856 $41,565–$57,499 827
83 Engineering-Related Technology Bachelor's C $44,933 $43,240–$65,332 202
84 Agricultural Engineering Bachelor's B $59,688 $51,690–$61,303 936
85 Clinical & Medical Laboratory Science & Research Bachelor's B $56,415 $52,524–$62,154 4,022
86 Management Information Systems Bachelor's B $58,985 $46,478–$61,303 7,889
87 Dental Support Services Bachelor's B $56,068 $48,849–$61,516 2,397
88 Geological & Geophysical Engineering Bachelor's B $55,770 $50,856–$55,964 138
89 Communication Disorders Sciences Master's C $56,641 $51,607–$60,452 10,166
90 Chemistry Master's C $50,105 $44,384–$72,231 2,413
91 Industrial Production Technology Bachelor's B $53,483 $47,064–$60,485 2,163
92 Vehicle Maintenance Bachelor's A $64,087 $49,840–$55,964 179
93 Human Resources Management and Services Master's C $57,318 $46,603–$69,338 8,292
94 Geography Master's C $56,544 $52,733–$63,005 1,193
95 Ecology, Evolution, Systematics Master's C $55,383 $44,170–$67,101 3,247
96 Applied Mathematics Bachelor's B $55,151 $45,919–$65,387 4,620
97 International Relations Master's C $65,995 $47,963–$64,493 5,256
98 Clinical & Medical Laboratory Science & Research Master's D $42,682 $42,682–$55,512 563
99 Statistics Bachelor's B $54,435 $47,650–$61,516 5,318
100 Geological Master's C $52,107 $42,728–$64,990 1,612
101 Computer Networking Bachelor's B $53,718 $45,305–$56,544 1,048
102 Architecture Master's C $52,877 $49,136–$56,234 805
103 Mathematics Master's C $53,810 $44,021–$62,012 2,572
104 Environmental Engineering Bachelor's B $52,733 $50,558–$57,318 1,910
105 Educational Leadership Master's C $53,699 $46,478–$57,860 6,788
106 Public Health Master's C $56,979 $47,595–$57,705 17,793
107 Science, Technology and Society Bachelor's C $37,363 $41,565–$64,913 644
108 Management Sciences Bachelor's B $61,630 $45,277–$62,848 11,863
109 Public Administration Master's C $56,415 $43,857–$57,995 11,984
110 Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Master's C $54,948 $44,384–$54,948 302
111 Information Technology Management Bachelor's B $57,318 $48,432–$60,192 11,636
112 Sustainability Studies Master's B $74,200 $42,682–$68,219 1,853
113 Fire Protection Bachelor's A $69,691 $39,729–$73,446 1,502
114 Finance Bachelor's B $52,643 $44,356–$55,348 47,431
115 Nutrition Sciences Master's C $49,883 $36,141–$53,775 1,636
116 Real Estate Bachelor's B $52,941 $40,626–$55,964 1,944
117 Education Master's C $50,465 $43,798–$55,693 14,021
118 Hospitality Management Master's D $49,058 $45,383–$57,860 1,226
119 Special Education Master's D $48,971 $44,021–$54,275 19,550
120 Natural Resources and Conservation Master's C $52,107 $41,205–$54,528 3,728

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?
Information Science & Studies (Bachelor's) — $57,883 median earnings two years after finishing, across 308 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.