First of all, congrats to all of you at Boise State who are about to graduate.  We know how much work went into getting that degree, and we'll be high fiving you tomorrow (May 5th) as you get your diplomas. If you're getting a degree in one of these areas, you can make big bucks right away.If you majored in engineering, you're gonna do well.  Engineers have been on all of the "best jobs" lists lately, and the salaries are good even for the newest workers in the field.  Engineering degrees are all over the top ten when it comes to the highest salaries right after college.

These are the 20 highest paying bachelor's degrees, according to StudyInternational.com, and what grads can expect to make right out of the gate.

1 Petroleum Engineering $94,600
2 Actuarial Mathematics $56,400
3 Actuarial Science $61,200
4 Nuclear Engineering $69,000
5 Chemical Engineering $70,300
6 Marine Engineering $73,900
7 Economics and Mathematics $60,000
8 Geophysics $54,100
9 Cognitive Science $54,000
10 Electrical Power Engineering $68,600
11 Aeronautical Engineering $65,300
11 Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) $69,000
13 Computer Systems Engineering $72,000
14 Bioengineering $61,600
14 Computer Science (CS) & Engineering $70,900
16 Computer Engineering (CE) $70,300
17 Electrical Engineering (EE) $67,800
18 Computer Science (CS) & Mathematics $62,800
18 Industrial & Systems Engineering $65,700
20 Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering $68,200

Money isn't everything, but it's nice when you have it.  And if you're going to work in the engineering field or with computers after college, you will have quite a bit of it if this Payscale report lives out in real life.

Based on this list, it's not necessarily a degree from the University of Michigan or Harvard or Stanford that produces the salary -- it's the major.  So if you've got the bachelor's degree from Boise State in one of these fields you're going to be competitive in your industry, and you might have saved some money on college tuition over the past few years too.  Nice job.

Oh, and if you're in high school or college now, pay attention in those STEM classes!  Courses in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields are all over the top 20 on Payscale’s list.  The first non-STEM course of Government doesn't show up until number 36.

Congrats, and good luck!

Boise State Spring Commencement 

Saturday, May 5th - Taco Bell Arena.

(Tickets not required.)

9:30 a.m. -- Business and Economics, Engineering and Health Sciences.

3:30 p.m. -- The College of Education, College of Arts and Sciences and School of Public Service.

 

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