A PayScale Salary Survey data show that engineers and scientists fair better financially than liberal arts bachelor’s degree holders. Yet, salaries of English majors exceed earnings a decade ago. Clearly, earning capacity varies across schools as well as across popular majors of alumni.
This survey indicates that schooling’s competitive and based on students’s choices of schools and majors. Applicants appear to select their potential earnings before entering their first higher education classroom.
For example, the median starting salaries for aeronautical engineers is $59,000 with midcareer salaries of $109,000. The same for English majors is $$37,800 and $66,900. And, for K12 education majors, $36,200 and $54,100.
Also, salaries of alumni vary widely across schools. For example, liberal arts graduates from Colgate University earned $51,900 and $110K. Alumni with liberal arts majors from Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) $44,300 $75,400 and $39,000 $50,400 for Shaw University.
Interestingly, starting salaries do not necessarily indicate ranking of midcareer salaries for alumni of the same school.
This survey indicates the annual pay for Bachelors degree graduates without higher degrees.
It also does not indicate the range of starting and midcareer salaries. For example, midcareer salaries for some (I didn’t take time to find out how many or what percentage) teachers exceed $100K in some (again, I didn’t take time to report the number or percentage) public school districts. To illustrate the point further, I know liberal arts majors whose earnings exceed those in this survey. (And, yes, they have C.V.s that exceed bachelor degrees.)
Methodology
This chart is based upon PayScale Salary Survey data for full-time employees in the United States who possess a Bachelor’s degree and no higher degrees and have majored in the subjects listed above. Typical starting graduates have 2 years of experience; mid-career have 15 years. These results may not represent all graduates with these degrees.
All colleges and universities across the nation were included. As a result, median salary figures may be skewed toward large state universities, since these schools have the largest attendance.
Salary is the sum of compensation from base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, commissions, and overtime, if applicable. Salary does not include equity (stock) compensation. See full methodology for more.