Engineers Get Top Starting Salaries

BETHLEHEM, PA -- With millions of college students graduating this year, engineering dominates the list of top-paid majors for the Class of 2011, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Responses to NACE's Spring 2011 Salary Survey indicate that engineering majors account for seven of the top 10 spots on the list. In fact, the only non-engineering major among the top-five highest-paid is computer science, which is second on the list.

"That four of the top five top-paid majors are engineering and all received average starting salary offers in excess of $60,000 strongly indicates the continued high demand for these graduates," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "Furthermore, the entire top-10 list underscores the interest employers have in hiring technical majors."

The Spring 2011 Salary Survey report is the second look at salaries for the Class of 2011. NACE will continue to monitor salary offers to the current class, and will release its next salary report in July with the Summer 2011 Salary Survey.

Figure 1: Top-Paid Majors for 2010-11 Bachelor's Degree Graduates

Curriculum	Average Salary Offer
Chemical engineering	$66,886
Computer science	$63,017
Mechanical engineering	$60,739
Electrical/electronics & communications engineering	$60,646
Computer engineering	$60,112
Industrial/manufacturing engineering	$58,549
Systems engineering	$57,497
Engineering technolgy	$57,176
Information sciences & systems	$56,868
Business systems networking/telecommunications	$56,808
*Where 10 or more offers were reported

Source: NACE Spring 2011 Salary Survey. Data represent job functions for which the most data were reported; all data are for bachelor's degree candidates.