10 Highest-Paying Bachelor's Degrees In 2019
Choosing a college major in 2019 can be a daunting task. In order to plan for the future, anyone considering a four-year degree should consider building a roadmap of their top preferred fields of study.
One of the most difficult questions when researching colleges is choosing your preferred degree path, and the financial viability of a major is at the forefront of the decision for many college-bound Americans.
The Study
A recent study by PayScale shows that science, technology, engineering and mathematics — STEM — majors continue to lead nationwide salary earnings among bachelor's degree recipients.
The study was conducted to help identify the challenges associated with choosing a college major, and howa bachelor’s degree can impact immediate and future income levels upon graduation.
STEM Majors Continue Pay Dominance
Benzinga has analyzed data from PayScale on the highest-paying college majors. Data is organized by the median salaries earned by category of bachelor's degree.
Median salaries are then organized by early career and mid-career salary levels. Early career is considered three years of work experience. Mid-career is considered 20 years of work experience.
For 2019, the early career median pay for pharmacy majors is $58,900 per year. In other words, 50% of all degree recipients earned less than $58,900 and 50% of degree recipients earned more than $58,900.
Leading all salary earners among students studying with STEM degrees, the highest-paying bachelor's degree is petroleum engineering. Median mid-career earnings for petroleum engineers are $176,900.
Do Non-STEM Degrees Make The Financial Grade?
It’s important to recognize that while STEM fields dominate the rankings for highest salaries, there are fields that offer high-paying careers, outside of engineering.
Four of the top 10 median earning mid-career salaries are non-STEM degrees.
Leading the way in non-STEM degree earnings is applied economics and management. Median mid-career earnings for the field come in at a lofty $140,000.
If you are a political junkie with a knack for researching global economic issues, pursuing a political economy bachelor’s degree can also pay future financial dividends.
In fact, political economy majors earn higher median mid-career salaries ($136,200) than pharmacy majors ($132,500) and electrical power engineering majors ($134,700) in 2019.
The following are the highest-paying bachelor's degrees in 2019:
|
Major / Field of Study |
STEM Field? |
Median Early-Career Salary for 2019 |
Median Mid-Career Salary for 2019 |
|
Aeronautics & Astronautics |
Yes |
$73,100 |
$131,600 |
|
Pharmacy |
No |
$79,600 |
$132,500 |
|
Business analysis |
No |
$57,200 |
$133,200 |
|
Electrical power engineering |
Yes |
$72,400 |
$134,700 |
|
Actuarial mathematics |
Yes |
$63,300 |
$135,100 |
|
Political economy |
No |
$57,600 |
$136,200 |
|
Operations research |
Yes |
$77,900 |
$137,100 |
|
Applied economics and management |
No |
$58,900 |
$140,000 |
|
Electrical engineering and computer science |
Yes |
$88,000 |
$142,200 |
|
Petroleum engineering |
Yes |
$94,500 |
$176,900 |
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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