Top college degrees with the best salaries
Ele Alınan Konular
- Published: 9 July 2025
Are you planning to start your study abroad journey? Need to know which bachelor’s or college degree would help you start a successful high-paying career? Read this article to discover the top college degrees with the best salaries!
In today’s job market, having a bachelor’s degree is nearly a necessity to land a rewarding, well-paying job with any possibility for advancement; a bachelor’s degree is almost essential for entry into most professional careers.
If you are starting your educational journey abroad going for undergraduate studies, you should aim for the best bachelor’s degrees that would help you get a high-paying job. A bachelor’s degree is a great investment in your future. Some degrees pay you back and can have an even bigger impact on your future earning potential than your university choice.
What are the top 10 college majors with the best salaries?
According to the Payscale’s College Salary report 2021, the below are the best college/bachelor’s degrees that offer their graduates the highest paying careers in the job market. As you may notice, the list shows that the best bachelor degrees are mostly STEM-focused, meaning they are focused on science, technology, engineering or math. STEM degrees continue to be some of the highest paying degrees year after year.
Rank* | Field of Study | Degree Type | Early Career Salary | Mid-Career Salary |
1 | Petroleum Engineering | Bachelors | $93,200 | $187,300 |
2 | Operations Research & Industrial Engineering | Bachelors | $84,800 | $170,400 |
3 | Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) | Bachelors | $108,500 | $159,300 |
4 | Interaction Design | Bachelors | $68,300 | $155,800 |
5 | Public Accounting | Bachelors | $59,800 | $147,700 |
6 | Operations Research | Bachelors | $83,500 | $147,400 |
7 | Applied Economics and Management | Bachelors | $66,100 | $146,400 |
8 | Business Computing (BC) | Bachelors | $73,000 | $143,600 |
9 | Actuarial Mathematics | Bachelors | $64,300 | $143,400 |
10 | Electrical Power Engineering | Bachelors | $76,100 | $142,600 |
*Rank based on mid-career salary. Source: Payscale College Salary report
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Other top majors with high starting salaries for graduates included:
Computer Systems Engineering: $79,000
Systems Engineering: $77,700
Chemical Engineering: $76,900
Pharmacy: $68,600
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