Industry News and Information
Average Starting Salary for Grads With Bachelor’s Degrees Rises 2.4 Percent
There is good news for 2013 college graduates with bachelor’s degrees concerning starting salaries for their entry level jobs.
The overall average starting salary for Class of 2013 college graduates earning bachelor’s degrees has increased 2.4 percent over last year, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE’s September 2013 Salary Survey found that the average starting salary for Class of 2013 college graduates stands at $45,327, up from the average salary of $44,259 for Class of 2012 graduates.
“Bolstering the positive news for the Class of 2013 is the fact that salary increases are not limited to certain fields of study that are ‘carrying’ the class,” explains Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “In fact, they are evident in most disciplines.”
Among the Class of 2013, the business disciplines experienced the largest increase to their overall average starting salary, which rose 7.9 percent to $55,635. Also on the high end were communications majors, whose average starting salary jumped 3.7 percent to $43,835.
The average starting salary for education majors was 3.2 percent, bringing it to $40,337, while both engineering and humanities and social sciences majors saw increases to their average starting salary that exceeded 2 percent.
The average starting salary to graduates in the humanities and social sciences increased 2.6 percent over last year, bringing it to $37,791. The overall average salary for engineering graduates, meanwhile, rose 2.3 percent to $62,062.
Graduates earning degrees in the math and science disciplines saw the least movement in their average starting salary, a 0.9 percent increase over last year to bring it to $42,731.