The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

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  1

  S.Howard-Sarin

  07/22/09 | Report as spam

  Hmmm... I wonder where B.A. in Rhetoric lands?

  My alum offered it, and I cannily opted for the more-commercial Rhetoric degree instead of my first urge: Comparative Religion. See, I know where the green is!

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  2

  The College Solution

  07/22/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Hey, religious studies barely missed making the worst-degree list. It came in right after drama.

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  3

  onelia

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  mmm, my undergrad was a B.Business (Hospitality & Tourism Management). This has just reinforced that I made the right choice becomming a public servant 8)

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  4

  dr. hirsch

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  I think "The Best and Worst College Degrees" misses the point. It is not reasonable to look only at major as a salary determinant; equally, if not more important, is the college or university attended. Graduates of highly esteemed institutions reap the benefits of the "signaling" aspect of their degrees...in most cases, the marketplace rewards graduation from a top school. So the economics major from Princeton may well land a job with a higher salary than that of an engineering graduate from a non-prestigious institution.
  It is difficult to translate the subtle advantages of attending an elite school into an exact salary premium equation, but the advantages are very real. As a former director of several college career centers, including one at a highly prestigious women's college, I saw this effect firsthand. For example, some of the most sought-after employers only recruit at this tier of schools; this greatly disadvantages students at lower tier institutions who do not have access to this means of entry. And in the informal venue of job search by networking, there is a clear pattern of alumnae/i facilitating the access of other graduatesof their same college seeking employment in the alum's organization. In these instances, the benefit of graduating from a prestigious institution is multiplied: the alum benefitted when (s)he found her job, and then the new graduate benefits from both her own degree and the assistance of the well-placed alum.
  Without question, some fields are generally better paid than others, and, to some extent, there are valid connections to be drawn regarding the likelihood of landing a higher paid position if one has graduated from a school with a degree in the high-value field. But it is too simplistic to explain salary by degree alone.

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  Summerdog

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Absolutely correct. A degree in butt-sniffing from Harvard will work more wonders for you than a degree in physics from Yakima State.

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  bjnbrown

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  The mid-career numbers may also be biased. Many 50 year old scientists and engineers where laid off in a recession and ended up being forced to restart their careers in a lower paying profession or working contract/temp. Many of the employment statistics don't track these "used up" workers very well.

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  Plecostomus

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  I observe that this list of worst degrees for making money, follows right the same path as a host of other cultural values: in general, if you observe, there is a valuing of assertion/aggression and a devaluing of receptivity/gentleness in our culture. Think "Yin-Yang" or "Masculine-Feminine" or workforce-homeforce - or Business-Healthcare, or Profits-families. This culture values Yang at the expense of Yin - so engineers and tech folk can make a good income (no fault to them), but teachers, cannot; and so the proposed budget in Calif includes no taxes on Big Oil (and California is the only oil producing state that doesn't tax oil companies), but cuts education. We yammer about "family values" but the people below the poverty line are women & children, and family planning doesn't get funded. "Health care" is important - until it means that Insurance companies suffer. This isn't to say that it "should" be the other way around. But balance would be an improvement. Maybe then, people whose contributions to society are on the soft-side-of-things, will be able to earn at a level comparable to those whose contributions are on the hard-side-of-things.

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  The College Solution

  07/23/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Dr. Hirsch -- I think you overstate the case of grads of Ivy League schools hogging all the jobs worth having. Only .2% of college students end up at these eight schools and you can't tell me that they have a monopoly on all the best jobs.
  
  Please read my latest post on the schools that are producing the highest paid grads. Ever heard of Loma Linda University?
  
  Here is the link to the post: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/colleges-that-produce-the-highest-paid-grads/587/?tag=col1;blog-river

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  9

  vampirekwc

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  It's appalling that Elementary Education and Education fall on this list. Frankly, I think teachers have pretty close to the most important job in America and their salaries should reflect that. It's disgusting that we gripe about the level of illiteracy and the lack of decent math/science programs, yet we pay teachers a measly $35k. I'd like to see those numbers doubled (at least) to lure the best and brightest people to help shape tomorrow's workforce.

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  dtpnola

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  You didn't mention Zoology. Many zoo keepers have a Ph. D. and shovel poop for hours a day for less than $40k a year.

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  g.a.smith

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Amen to increasing teacher's salaries, at ALL levels. It shames us as a nation that people in charge of educating our children are some of the poorest paid.

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  mike at profiles

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Plecostomus.
  Wow what contradictions. You chastise California regarding taxes on oil but California deals with natural sludge that comes up on shore each year costing millions. They have one of the largest off shore oil reserves that would supply their economy with an estimated 2 billion dollars annually but they won't drill. So you answer is to penalize corporations or business because the California "yang" approach doesn't work. I agree that insurance needs to be improved but not by transferring it to government. The government programs we approved in the past morphed into something they weren't design to be and cost billions more than estimated. Let's take insurance out of the hands of business; buy it like you buy car or house insurance that way it's portable, allow companies to sell across state lines creating competition, pass tort reform so doctors aren't compelled to practice defensive medicine are just a few common sense suggestions. As a former school board trustee I agree with your assertion that teachers should get paid more but that won't happen as long as unions have control. As a board member I proposed merit pay increases to exceptional teachers and bonuses for teachers that did not force us to use substitutes (we had one teacher that missed 30 and could not fire her) but it was struck down because of fear of the unions! I could go on but I don't think the space will allow.
  

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  Legal Cat

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Does this report take into consideration the many perks that teachers have? I doubt it. They gripe and strike if they have to pay 5% of their healthcare premium while we in healthcare have been paying at least 10% for many years now.

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  xixino1

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  It is really sad that people only care about jobs like engineering and technology. If you look at the list of "worst paying jobs," those are the kinds of jobs that would improve the world and feed one's soul through altruism and creative self-expression.

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  clarkm

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  In my community teachers actually make more than reasonable salaries. Yes, the starting salary is close to the posted numbers, but they rise quickly and far exceed the mid-career numbers shown. Take into consideration that it is almost impossible to fire them regardless of their performance, they get fully paid benefits, contribute nothing to their retirement funds and work roughly 3/4 of a year, their pay far exceeds comparable professionals. Further, they can retire in their mid-50's with full pay and benefits, while the rest of the population is working well into their late 60's and early 70's to pay for all of this. Now, in a declining economy, they will continue to get their guaranteed 3.5% raise every year of the current contract plus annual cost-of-living increases. They ***** about it all the time and don't actually realize what those of us in the real world are truly faced with. (I know I ended that sentence with a proposition so I don't want to hear from the teachers regarding my education.)
  
  I know that is not true for all teachers across the country but I don't agree that we have left them down. The reality of compensation is not as described by Plecostumus but rather, what it takes to replace you. If a person can be taken off the street and easily trained to do your job then it's not likely to pay very much. I believe the derogatory term is the "trained monkey". While we are actually talking about college educated professions, the concept still applies. As I recall, every person who dropped out of engineering at my school went into business or communications. Maybe that's why they are so far down the list. No yin and yang about it.
  
  One last gripe, vampirekwc would like to see us raise teachers salaries to get the best and the brightest. If you do that then you need to significantly raise the qualifications, both for starting out and retaining or advancing. As it is now, we have the worst and the dullest migrating toward education because it is an easy degree to acquire and actually pays fairly well for the job requirements. Plus summers off. My apologies to those educators who actually are worth their weight and then some.

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  sdcappel

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Those who select the professions on the Worst College degrees may have other criteria they feel brings more value than money only! Just a thought... We all make choices and decide what is most important to us!

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  tguarnera

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  This is a just a list of average salaries based on degree (school ranking for example). I see posts here that say it isn't complete and other factors play importance. Yes, of course, that goes without saying.
  
  What I would like to see is a relational data list. Look at factors like school prominence, job market and such could be factored in. What does a degree in Social Work from Princeton get you as compared to a Computer Science from Fresno State.
  
  Oh then there are soft(er) factors like how you apply yourself and any work experience you may have gained prior to graduation.
  
  Here is something to ponder... Could it be considered irresponsible to loan a student $50-$60K to get a degree from Princeton? Pull the logic from the home loan crash. Just as it isn?t smart to give someone with bad credit and an annual income of $45K a $300K loan, is it smart to loan someone money who will be less likely to be able to pay those loans back? Strip away the emotion of the importance of an education and look at it strictly from a business decision.

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  d3wrs01

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  In the final analysis, it really doesn't matter what someone's undergrad degree is, nor does it matter what college they've attended. What matters is the person's attitude, ambition, flexibility, and a healthy sense of who they are. For example, a person with an undergrad degree in sociology from Whatsamatta U. can go on to graduate school and concentrate on whatever interests them and turn out to be a high earner with a high satisfaction level.

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  The College Solution

  07/24/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  D3wrso1
  
  I totally agree with you: where you get your undergrad degree doesn't matter. The time to aim for top brand names is when you apply for graduate school. It's the advanced degrees that will dramatically impact your future earnings potential.

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  Dave.J

  07/25/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Interesting article and more interesting discussion. As a former teacher, I agree that the wages could use a boost, but coming from a state that pays them well and has a huge union influence, I disagree that they get paid too little in all cases. I realize many teachers are poorly paid, but in my state that is not so true. Remember, they are not full year employees and that is a huge perk, along with ongoing paid education. Look at Social Workers, who usually need a MSW to start and the influence they have on the lives of our children and families... that's a field I'd focus on improving first (and I am not a social worker).

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  lraufman@...

  07/26/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  As a career counselor at a community college in California, I have watched students transfer to private and public colleges over the past 30 years. Very few of our students get to the Ivy League (although I have heard of quite a few who move East for Graduate School). Engineering and Business majors (no matter what school they have attended) have gotten the top salaries for decades even though the recession periods cut into the Business majors opportunities. People who go into Business, no matter what their majors, also have, on average, earned higher salaries by mid career. I think the "worst" degree list which shows liberal arts majors starting around $30,000 and having a mid career salary of $55,000 is most telling. For most "average" students in state universities, $55,000 is not bad. It is only bad if you are from an Ivy League University and you know many people earning $100,000-$200,000
  
  By the way, 2 year degree Registered Nurses now start at salaries around $41,000 and mid career salary averages $60,000-$70,000. (More statistics can be found at Salary.com.)
  
  Yes, I definitely agree with D3wrso1. There are many other factors that account for the majority of people who get good jobs as well as what constitutes what a good job is.
  
  As a matter of fact, for those who want to know what graduates earn: many universities list on their Career Center websites current studies showing what their graduates are making as entry salaries.
  

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  jaxman

  07/27/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Hey Everybody,
  Read Summerdog again. In 2 stark sentences he gave you the reality check.
  The reason behind it is because of (a) the rep of the school, and more so (b) the network you build while you are 'sniffing butts.'
  Summerdog speaks the truth. Read and heed. My last two high end employment contracts were never even advertised.
  A recruiter in my 'school' network proposed me on speculation to an employer in both instances. Word of mouth only. The most recent employer created a position to hire me. Think about it. I cannot be the only one.
  Best wishes for you all.
  Jaxman

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  23

  SDiva

  07/30/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  I agree with many of these comments, but I'm beginning to realize that in this recession many employers are not looking for what school you graduated from or what degree you have. There are quite a few educated idiots and employers are aware of that. Employers are looking for motivated and self starters and people who really have common sense. Anyway I can speak on having an engineering job that paid exceptionally well for me right out of college, but I can truly say that I hated that job. It was very isolating and I changed occupations to sales where my initial salary was a decrease of 25K, but the sales job was so much more fulfilling and I recouped that 25K in no time because I loved my job.
  
  So word to the wise if you are only getting a job for the money it "might" pay you then think again because you want to have a great career that pays well not a well paying job...there is a big difference and it gets old really quick.
  Smile it is time to get up and go to work;-)

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  24

  yalta2

  08/10/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  This just proves that our society does not put enough value on educators, arts or religion. Money talks it seems and I find it dissappointing. From a long term value perspective, should a teacher really make less money than a stock broker? Teachers are our children's futures and until their pay matches their long term value, many children will continue to test low and lose hope.

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  minervaAlyce

  08/25/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  While I think it's sad that teenagers seem to be increasingly
  choosing careers based on earnings capacity -- i.e. just look at
  how popular the business major has become -- it's also
  understandable why it's happening. I'm second guessing why I
  majored in history!

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  Jey.C

  09/25/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  yes... Thats rit.. this may show light to other courses n colleges.
  

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  LEGV13

  10/01/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  To Vampirekwe...I totally agree with you, and I am not a teacher, nor do I have children, not that that should matter. The only condition is that the teachers have to be evaluated every so often to make sure they are actually teaching the students, and more importantly, that the student is actually learning.
  
  I'm looping in police and fireman also as groups that should be highly compensated. Thank you.

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  newty74

  10/19/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  some how your data missed pilots.
  
  It takes several years of experience usually before you can
  even find an airline job...and the average starting salaries @ an
  airline is 20,000.

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  Cubatraveler

  11/15/09 | Report as spam

  RE: The Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

  Not all engineering degrees are so lucrative. Some are impossible to get in or to keep without friends or relatives in the right place. I graduated in Metallurgical Engineering in 1979, was terminated from a job in August after 20 years and now find that I can't even get an interview. Must be age related (53) as no one hires people my age but expects them to go and be "consultants" or "contractors". Looking forward to my first job as a bartender/shuttle bus driver while a bankruptcy court deals with my debts. Thank you very much for my great vaunted university engineering degree!