Salaries Up 4.5% for 2012 College Grads

The overall median salary for Class of 2012 college graduates is up 4.5 percent over the median posted by the Class of 2011, according to a new survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

 

NACE’s April 2012 Salary Survey report—the first report on salaries for the Class of 2012—shows the overall median starting salary for a bachelor’s degree graduate has risen to $42,569 for the Class of 2012 from the final median salary of $40,735 for the Class of 2011.

 

“The overall median salary increase is the result of gains throughout most sectors,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Even in those sectors that showed decreases in median starting salaries, the dips were very slight.”

 

At this early juncture, education and communications majors are seeing the most significant increases to their median salaries over last year. Graduates with education degrees are entering the work force with a median salary of $37,423, 4.5 percent higher than the $35,828 earned by members of the Class of 2011.

 

Following closely behind, Class of 2012 communications majors are seeing a 3.8 percent increase in their median salary, climbing to $40,022 from the $38,549 earned by their Class of 2011 counterparts.

 

The increases in median salaries for math and sciences majors, and those earning bachelor’s degrees in computer sciences, have been nearly identical—2.5 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.

 

The overall median salary for graduates earning math and sciences degrees has increased to $40,939, while graduates within the computer sciences fields have starting salaries that have risen to $56,383.

 

Still posting gains, albeit nominal ones, are humanities and social sciences, and business majors. The median starting salary for business graduates has crept up 1 percent to $47,748, while the median salary for humanities and social sciences has inched ahead by just 0.5 percent, to $34,789.

 

On the other side, the median salaries for engineering and health sciences graduates have dipped incrementally. Engineering graduates are posting a median salary of $58,581, a slight drop of 0.4 percent, and health sciences majors’ median salary has dipped 0.7 percent to $43,477.