Technical Degrees Lead List of Top-Paid Majors for Class of 2013 Grads

Petrochemical workers at a refinery plant. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

If you have graduated from college in 2013 with a technical degree, you may be earning one of the top salaries in the job market.

Technical majors, especially those in engineering, head the list of top-paid majors for the Class of 2013, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s September 2013 Salary Survey found that seven engineering majors are among the 10 highest-paid at the bachelor’s-degree level.

At an average starting salary of $96,200, petroleum engineering is far and away the highest-paid major for members of the Class of 2013.

Other engineering majors among the top 10 are computer engineering, ($70,300, second), chemical engineering ($66,900, third), aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering ($63,900, fifth), mechanical engineering ($63,900, fifth), electrical/electronics and communications engineering ($62,500, seventh), and engineering technology ($60,900, eighth).

Computer science majors earn starting salaries that average $64,100, the fourth highest among bachelor’s-degree graduates in 2013. Other non-engineering majors whose average starting salaries were among the highest were management information systems/business ($60,300, ninth) and logistics/materials management ($59,500, 10th).