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
161 Food Science and Technology Bachelor's C $42,682 $38,289–$49,175 1,110
162 Systems Science and Theory Bachelor's B $60,623 $25,194–$50,856 476
163 Gerontology Master's D $45,383 $41,937–$42,682 336
164 Business Bachelor's C $46,738 $37,208–$48,225 25,323
165 Marketing Bachelor's C $44,888 $37,896–$46,478 44,419
166 Business Administration Bachelor's C $45,455 $37,503–$47,260 160,246
167 Parks, Recreation Master's D $41,565 $39,729–$42,682 360
168 Journalism Master's D $45,021 $38,289–$47,260 1,525
169 Business Management Bachelor's C $44,915 $34,704–$54,192 2,895
170 Human Development, Family Studies Master's D $42,123 $38,289–$43,426 1,373
171 Religion & Religious Studies Master's F $38,289 $38,289–$44,572 1,463
172 Zoology & Animal Biology Master's F $41,205 $39,369–$49,058 329
173 Physics Bachelor's C $43,240 $34,847–$48,432 7,710
174 Mental and Social Health Services Master's F $41,539 $37,671–$45,383 17,126
175 Exercise Science Master's D $42,123 $37,856–$45,128 9,192
176 Sociology Master's D $41,565 $31,314–$41,565 1,358
177 Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General Master's D $47,427 $37,208–$47,427 224
178 History Master's F $38,414 $33,993–$44,468 3,626
179 English Master's F $40,737 $32,925–$42,682 3,937
180 Public Administration Bachelor's C $41,193 $34,526–$42,682 2,383
181 Healthcare Administration Bachelor's C $38,289 $35,416–$44,783 16,905
182 Arts, Entertainment Master's D $41,565 $38,289–$46,924 1,178
183 Social Sciences Master's F $39,214 $37,208–$49,058 1,618
184 Biology Master's F $35,416 $28,212–$46,087 7,761
185 Chemistry Bachelor's C $37,568 $33,281–$41,937 13,229
186 Romance Languages Master's F $35,518 $35,518–$43,240 969
187 Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Master's F $38,289 $38,289–$53,108 953
188 Bible & Biblical Studies Master's F $29,141 $29,141–$41,565 737
189 Anthropology Master's F $38,289 $33,993–$42,682 1,028
190 Family and Consumer Sciences Bachelor's C $43,426 $38,018–$41,193 475
191 Forestry Bachelor's C $38,289 $35,823–$40,768 1,076
192 Pharmacy Bachelor's C $41,565 $29,593–$41,937 2,784
193 Special Education Bachelor's C $37,484 $34,450–$40,821 8,867
194 Teacher Education Bachelor's C $37,208 $32,391–$39,909 18,893
195 Astronomy and Astrophysics Bachelor's D $32,925 $32,925–$36,848 1,035
196 Hospitality Management Bachelor's C $38,634 $33,192–$40,140 7,940
197 Biotechnology Bachelor's C $35,416 $25,194–$41,193 1,089
198 Sustainability Studies Bachelor's C $36,745 $27,295–$39,009 1,636
199 Specialized Sales Bachelor's C $45,215 $33,993–$39,261 2,049
200 Teaching Bachelor's C $35,711 $32,485–$38,721 51,441

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?
Food Science and Technology (Bachelor's) — $42,682 median earnings two years after finishing, across 78 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.