Undergraduate Interns Earn Average of $16.26 Per Hour

Marilyn Mackes of NACE

The average salaries for bachelor’s and master’s degree interns held steady this year, according to a new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). NACE’s 2013 Internship & Co-op Survey found that the average salary for bachelor’s degree interns ticked up just 0.3 percent to $16.26 per hour from $16.21 per hour last year.

“However, interns in several majors at the bachelor’s degree level earned average salaries that topped $18 an hour,” notes Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

Engineering ($20.36), computer science ($18.96), and mathematics ($18.15) majors had the highest average hourly wages among bachelor’s degree level interns.

Meanwhile, the average salary for master’s degree interns dipped from $21.93 per hour last year to $21.90 per hour this year, representing a decrease of 0.1 percent.

At $24.43 per hour, engineering majors earned the highest average salary among master’s degree interns, followed by physical sciences ($23.58), mathematics ($23.40), and business ($23.02) majors.