Headed To School? These College Degrees Offer The Best Starting Pay

It's not just what you study, it's the sector you choose to work in

As going to college keeps rising in cost, getting a degree with the most bang for your buck is essential.

Today’s college graduates are looking into the “wage premium” for their degrees before their student loans officially hit. Instead of solely focusing on their passions, students are looking into the potential salaries. A survey by Indeed found many degreed employees already look at their diplomas as a “waste.”

According to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, median early career wages vastly differ depending on if one studies the humanities or STEM subjects. Inc. also confirmed foreign languages, social sciences, and arts degree-holders can expect to make around $40,000 annually. Those who studied engineering and computer science can make about double.

Those pursuing less profitable careers should not expect a large pay raise in due time. Education and social services majors should anticipate an average salary increase of $8,000 to $12,000 as they reach the mid-level.

On the other hand, many engineers will make it into the six-figure range after some years of work. As they enter their middle-career range, employees who had starting salaries of $70,000 to $80,000 can expect to make nearly $50,000 more by the mid-level point.

“Majors providing technical training—that is, quantitative and analytical skills—earn the highest return, including engineering, math and computers, and business and economics,” said the authors of a New York Fed report.

Not all who studied anything other than STEM subjects are doomed to low wages. Picking where one chooses to work can make all the difference, no matter the degree. Overall, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York maintains that a college education is typically a sound move for young adults.

“After rising significantly in the 1980s and early 1990s, the return (on) college (tuition) has held between 12 and 13 percent for the past three decades and was 12.5 percent in 2024—easily exceeding the threshold for a sound investment,” the report said.

It should be noted that the report did not take identity into account and how it plays a role in one’s earnings. Given the pay discrepancies between race and gender, it is important for employees of color, especially Black ones, to consider these systemic issues when choosing their career paths.