Salary Offers Increase 6 percent for Class of 2011 to $51,171

The overall average salary offer to Class of 2011 graduates has risen 6 percent over last year’s average, according to a new survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s Fall 2011 Salary Survey report shows the overall average salary offer to a bachelor’s degree graduate rose from $48,288 for the Class of 2010 to $51,171 for the Class of 2011.

“The overall salary increase is the result of gains across disciplines,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

Graduates earning business degrees saw their overall average salary rise 4.6 percent above the September 2010 average—from $46,672 to $48,805.

Offers to business administration/management graduates jumped 5.4 percent to $46,372. Both economics and finance graduates saw their average salary offers increase. The average salary offer for economics graduates rose 3.9 percent to $53,690, while the average salary offer for finance majors grew by 4.8 percent to $51,503.

As a group, those earning computer-related degrees saw their overall average salary soar 9.6 percent from $58,189 to $63,760. The overall average offer for those majoring specifically in computer science jumped 9.3 percent to $66,084, while information sciences and systems majors saw their average salary offer increase by 5.9 percent to $55,619.

The average salary offer to engineering majors as a group rose 2.8 percent over last year’s average of $58,669 to $60,291. The average salary offer to petroleum engineering graduates grew 7.1 percent to $82,740, making it the highest-paid major in this report.

Also ranking on the highest-paid list, chemical engineering graduates saw their average salary offer increase 1.8 percent to $66,058. Computer engineering graduates posted a healthy 4.1 percent increase to their average salary offer, bringing it to $62,849.