There’s a joke that goes: To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
But when it comes to salary compared to other professions, there’s no joke. The engineer’s glass is definitely full.
In a new study by Payscale.com on The Bachelor’s Degrees with the Highest Salary Potential, nine of the top 10 are engineering degrees.
What students decide to major in has a huge impact on their future earnings. In general, those majors in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are rewarded the most monetarily. Conversely, those majors with the lowest future salary potential are those dealing with education and child development.
| Major | Early Career Salary | Mid-Career Salary |
| 1. Petroleum Engineering | $102,300 | $176,300 |
| 2. Actuarial Mathematics | $60,800 | $119,600 |
| 3. Nuclear Engineering | $67,000 | $118,800 |
| 4. Chemical Engineering | $69,600 | $116,700 |
| 5. Electronics & Communication Engineering | $64,100 | $113,200 |
| 6. Electrical & Computer Engineering | $66,500 | $113,000 |
| 7. Computer Science (CS) & Engineering | $67,700 | $112,600 |
| 8. Computer Engineering (CE) | $67,300 | $108,600 |
| 9. Electrical Engineering | $65,900 | $107,900 |
| 10. Materials Science & Engineering | $64,000 | $105,100 |
Engineers who go on to earn master’s or doctorate degrees, make considerably higher salaries. Petroleum engineering is still No. 1 on the list of earners with graduate degrees, and four other engineering degrees are in the top 10. Attorneys are No. 10 on the list, with early career salary averaging $66,100 growing to $139,000 at mid-career.
Other graduate degrees that bring the highest earning power are nurse anesthesia (No. 2 with $140,900 average starting salary), MBA’s in both strategy and strategic management, and computer science.
The earning power of other popular undergraduate majors, according to the Payscale study, are:
| Major | Early Career Salary | Mid-Career Salary |
| 13. Computer Science | $61,600 | $103,600 |
| 33. Finance | $50,900 | $89,300 |
| 40. Information Technology | $51,100 | $86,500 |
| 44. International Business | $46,100 | $85,400 |
| 55. Marketing and Management | $44,000 | $82,900 |
| 74. Advertising | $41,100 | $77,500 |
| 78. English Literature | $40,600 | $76,500 |
| 89. Nursing | $56,900 | $73,600 |
| 93. Business Administration | $45,500 | $73,100 |
| 97. History | $40,500 | $72,300 |
| 100. Journalism | $39,000 | $69,700 |
| 126. Public Relations | $38,600 | $65,800 |
| 139. Psychology | $37,300 | $61,800 |
| 148. Sociology | $38,600 | $60,300 |
| 164. Criminal Justice | $35,900 | $58,800 |
| 170. Art | $37,600 | $57,700 |
| 186. Education | $38,100 | $54,600 |
| 202. Elementary Education | $33,600 | $45,500 |
| 206. Early Childhood Education | $29,700 | $38,000 |
The most underemployed college major, according to Payscale studies, based on low compensation or “having part-time work but wanting full-time or holding a job that doesn’t require or utilize the person’s education, experience or training” is criminal justice, with 62 percent of graduates feeling underemployed.
Criminal justice majors are followed by business management and administration majors at 60 percent and health care administration, with 58 percent feeling underemployed.
Other college majors that currently have more trouble translating into meaningful jobs for the graduates are general studies, sociology, English, graphic design, liberal arts, education and psychology.