The 2009 salary report released by Payscale.com indicated that seven of the ten highest paid college majors were in engineering. While the report based the findings on bachelor's degree holders, further studies on the website found students with an equivalent master's degree earn approximately 17% more than undergraduates, and Ph.D.s made up to 26% higher wages.
Rank | Engineering job | Bachelor's degree | Master's degree | Doctorate degree |
1 | Aerospace | $55,477- $72,327 | $68,207- $99,296 | $74,152- $101,725 |
2 | Chemical | $59,625- $81,189 | $62,841- $99,083 | $68,899- $103,693 |
3 | Computer | $54,367- $88,967 | $66,033- $98,250 | No data |
4 | Electrical | $55,254- $102,106 | $60,595- $111,589 | $76,726- $125,677 |
7 | Mechanical | $53,318- $80,064 | $80,131- $96,950 | $80,675- $100,704 |
9 | Industrial | $51,715- $9,216 | $63,871- $85,489 | No data |
10 | Environmental | $51,180- $67,604 | $56,782- $81,389 | No data |