What College Degrees Make The Most Money

Benefits Of Criminal Justice Major

• It offers hands-on education and instructions on how to help others in trouble.
• There are a lot of good-paying job opportunities, with this position constantly being high in demand.
• It doesnt involve studying various papers or reading too much. Students get hands-on experience and a lot of practical work which establishes them to follow the career path they studied for.
• The best part is that it allows you to constantly make progress at work and easily earn promotions and recognition. You may start up as a regular police officer but skyrocket towards a senior detective position or even a chief.

Criminal Justice Major Positions With Good Salary

Criminal Justice can teach you how to deal with the criminals but also how to work in a wide selection of careers. Below, weve highlighted the best criminal justice careers with a respectable salary.

• Police Detective
• Paralegal
• Probation Officer

There are also a lot of criminal justice jobs connected to science and technology such as forensic investigator and cybersecurity analyst.

Cardiovascular Technologists And Technicians

Median annual pay: $59,100

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians use medical equipment to take images of the heart and lungs. You need only a two-year associate degree for this job that pays a median wage of $59,100.

Outpatient care centers, physicians offices, hospitals and diagnostic laboratories are among the best-paying employers for this specialty.

You May Like: Can You Take Online College Courses In High School

The Best College Majors Outside Of Technology And Engineering

While engineering fields dominate the list of highest-paying majors, plenty of non-technical programs can also lead to careers with pretty good wages. The Georgetown University report found that the average salary for bachelor’s degree holders overall was $61,000; all of the majors in this section have median salaries that are higher than that. So if your interests run somewhere other than technology or engineering, here are some of the best college degrees to consider:

Benefits Of Psychology Major

• There are a lot of ways for one to specialize in the major. There are plethora of specializations. Graduating psychology is usually not enough in itself and students need to embark on easy and swift specializations to find the driving force of their career.
• It focuses on people and is great for people who want to understand people and focus on the high social setting.
• There are a plethora of skills psychology major students learn throughout their education.
• The rewarding feeling of helping others. Do you want to make someone feel good? Psychology is the way because it leaves such a good aftertaste when the person who had a problem feels more productive and like they are overcoming their issues.

Recommended Reading: Is Taylor College In Belleview Fl Accredited

Naval Architecture And Marine Engineering

– Early career pay: $68,800- Mid-career pay: $117,700- Percent of alumni who say their work makes the world a better place: data not available

Naval architecture and marine engineering deals with the design, maintenance, and construction of vehicles and installations that float or travel at sea. This can include cargo ships, naval vehicles, or instrument buoys. Jobs in this major include ship builders and designers, offshore platform engineers and builders, buoy builders, and submarine engineers.

– Mid-career pay: $118,000- Percent of alumni who say their work makes the world a better place: 39%

While engineering is;science-based, it’s a practical field. Theoretical work, such as determining physical limits to an engineering solution, is left to engineering scientists, who are concerned with the physical and mathematical basis of engineering. While most real-world engineers have a working sense of engineering science, many solutions may need laboratory or extensive theory testing to be implemented. Engineering scientists have found work in many of the same fields and companies that hire engineers, including the legal profession, medicine, public and private industry, and the government sector.

– Mid-career pay: $120,000- Percent of alumni who say their work makes the world a better place: 45%

Is Any Major Guaranteed To Lead To A High

Before we dig into the highest-paying majors, its important to realize that the major itself isnt always what leads to higher pay. Instead, its the career path your student chooses after they graduate.

Even jobs with similar titles can offer wildly different pay rates. The nature of the duties, type of organization, and even physical location all impact salaries. For example, while doctors are classically known for having substantial compensation packages, what a person may earn as a specialist in a cutting-edge practice will be different than what a more general physician working in a free clinic might make.

Additionally, while various majors may make a person eligible for a high-paying job, the number of opportunities in individual segments may be limited. Snagging specific positions can be challenging, and many people with the right qualifications may not end up in those roles.

Further, some jobs that come with generous salaries require advanced degrees. At times, a Masters or Doctorate is necessary to tap the full earning potential of a field. That means dedicating more time â and potentially money â to education before even qualifying for those roles. For some, getting one of these highest-paying degrees may feel like time well spent, but not everyone would agree.

Don’t Miss: How To Make Passive Income In College

Which Degree Should I Get

Now that weve looked at the easiest and highest paying bachelors degrees specifically, lets take a step back and look at the big picture or what types of degrees you could earn.

Although what you consider to be an easy degree may be different than what we consider to be easy, the average GPA for students in these fields of study are a B average or higher.

• Associates

Scroll down for more information on each degree type.

Is College Still Worth The Money Maybe

As the cost of education continues to skyrocket and job prospects remain less than robust in a tough economy, the answer to the question, What are you majoring in? seems more important than ever.

Theres no getting around it. Education is expensive. A four-year degree at a public university costs, on average, $37,343, while an education at a private school will set you back $121,930. While statistics show that a college degree will undoubtedly open doors and increase your earning potential, you need to choose your degree carefully to ensure youre making a wise investment.

Last week, we highlighted;. This week, well head to the other end of the spectrum and show you 8 college degrees with great ROI , as well as some examples of jobs within each industry.

Read Also: How To Raise Money For College

Top Ten Most Valuable Degrees In Canada

In the fall of 2018, there were 1.7 million students in Canada heading back to school. In a volatile economy and an era of technological change, these students will have to apply knowledge and skills to meet employer needs and succeed in their respective fields. A university education remains one of the best ways to adapt to a rapidly evolving global workforce and launch life-long career success.

Luckily, Canadian universities continue to enjoy a solid international reputation with employers. Nine schools appeared on the Global University Employability Ranking 2018 report and the University of Toronto is the top recruitment choice for employers.

The list below ranks the top-10 bachelors degrees based on the highest average salaries from a 2016 Statistics Canada study, as well as the most recent available tuition costs at three top Canadian universities so students can get an idea of the return on investment for their education.1,2

No matter what program you choose in the end, with careful budgeting, planning and hard work, you can find success in any field.

10. Civil Engineering

• Average salary in 2017 dollars: $80,080
• First year tuition : $15,760
• First year tuition : $6,298.95
• First year tuition : $7,632

Over the next few years, Canadas residential construction sector will temper and the momentum for employment and investment will shift to large-scale heavy engineering projects, according to a 2018 forecast by Building Solutions.

Communications And Communications Technologies

Communications is a fairly utilitarian degree that allows for flexibility and the ability to do many different jobs, including those in marketing, sales, journalism and more. Additionally, it can provide a base for continuing education, such as going to law school or getting an MBA.

Median starting salary : $45,600Average salary: $60,616Average unemployment rate: 3.6%Better alternative: If you enjoy communications and explaining concepts to others, you might do better with an economics degree. The starting median salary there is $64,900, and the growth outlook for that job is much higher than average. Plus, the overall average salary for an economist is more than $75,000.

Read Also: What College Accepts The Lowest Gpa

Visit Your Schools Career Center

The college career center can be a big help in letting you see whats available and assisting you in planning your next step. You can also get an idea of whether it makes sense to change majors. You dont have to stay with your major if you decide its not going to help you reach your financial goals.

How Do I Find My Highest Paying Career

So when youre choosing your career path, ask yourself: What can I do that not many people can do? If that answer is something that the job market values, you might find yourself in one of these Top 50 Highest Paying Careers.

Related Articles:

The College Consensus guide to the Top 50 Highest Paying Careers for 2021 is based on PayScale median salary, while we also consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics for job growth rates and unemployment rates, where those statistics are significant.

Recommended Reading: Do Native Americans Get Free College

What Is A Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree is a four-year degree that trains undergraduates in a specific area of study. In addition to major coursework, bachelor’s degree students complete general education courses that build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In some majors, students complete an internship to build professional skills. Most colleges and universities also let students choose electives to customize the degree around their interests and career goals.

Undergraduates typically need 120 credits to earn their bachelor’s degree, which takes around four years of full-time study to complete. Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in fields like business, arts and sciences, engineering, or education. Majors in business administration, marketing, and accounting rank as some of the highest-paying degrees. Engineering and tech degrees also offer high average salaries.

Operations Research And Industrial Engineering

– Early career pay: $79,600- Mid-career pay: $166,300- Percent of alumni who say their work makes the world a better place: data not available

Operations research and industrial engineering looks at how organizations can address both their performance objectives and resources limits to create the most beneficial policies. Akin to business efficiency experts, this field looks at the existing decision-making apparatus to judge if it is efficient and to find ways to make it so. Jobs in this field include project managers and efficiency specialists.

Don’t Miss: Are Donations To Hillsdale College Tax Deductible

Stem Degrees Are Top But Liberal Arts Plus Grad School Can Also Do It

• The Bottom Line

What is the college degree that you should have gotten? Maybe it’s the one you did get. But sometimes when people are getting out of collegeand they and their friends start hitting the job marketthey realize that the opportunities open to grads with their particular major are not necessarily in the career fields they’d like to go after. Or they realize that the fields they thought they wanted to pursue actually pay a pittance of what new grads with different majors are being offered.

The price of a college education these days is enough to make even the most well-heeled students gulp. So its worth thinking of your degree as an investment in your future, not just the next hurdle you have to get over in order to land that first job.;

The most valuable degrees are the ones that not only provide an immediate payoff after college but also afford those who pursue them long-term career satisfaction and the possibility of earnings growth. Here are some degrees that can produce those kinds of resultsand that anyone still in school may want to consider.

Computer And Information Technology

Computer and information technology ranks number seven on Salary.com’s list of eight college degrees that will earn your money back. It will prepare you for a wide variety of high-paying careers that involve the development of computer systems in an organization to reach goals and solve problems. Careers in information technology are in great demand in our Information Age. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects computer and information systems jobs to grow fifteen percent from 2014 to 2024, which is significantly faster than average.

Recommended Reading: What Colleges Take 2.0 Gpa

The 12 College Majors That Earn The Most On Average:

1. Chemical Engineering $70,000

12. Mass media $31,200

Although agriculture is one of the lower earning majors, it does almost guarantee a job after college. Students with agriculture, construction and nursing degrees are the least likely of all graduates to be without a job after college. In fact, their;unemployment rates are 2% or lower. So if you want to be guaranteed a job and dont mind making a little less money to start, those fields are good;options.;

Most of the lower earners are pretty logical choices. Teachers typically make lower salaries, unless the jobs is;at the collegiate level. Psychology is generally a degree that requires students to get;a doctoral degree, in particular a degree in psychiatry, in order to get highest-paying jobs in that field.;

Richard Dietz, assistant vice president at the New York Fed, sheds some light on why the more specific majors tend to make more money than non-specific and broader majors:;Majors with quantitative skills, STEM-type majors, tend to have better outcomes than those that are less analytical. Majors that provide occupation-specific training tend to do better than non-specific majors.

• Show CommentsHide Comments

Why Is It Important To Know Which Majors Make The Most Money

Learning which majors make the most money may help you determine your field of study. STEM majors, those in math, technology, engineering and science are consistently at or near the top of the list. While the highest-paid majors do change a bit over time, this list doesn’t include any majors in humanities, arts or education. Please note the figures are averages for the first year of employment.

Also Check: What Is The Best Apple Laptop For College Students

Make Your Money Count But Do What You Love

When all is said and done, the best way to get the biggest bang for your education buck is to truly love what you do. But while few things contribute to your ultimate earning power like passion and excelling at what you do, it doesnt hurt to know youll be able to pay off those college loans a little sooner!

Agriculture And Natural Resources

If you’re interested in growing things, you’ll be thrilled to learn this industry has made the list. The average starting salary of $54,857 is a 2.5% growth from 2020’s starting salary of $53,504. All your hard work in the lab, fields, and on the farm are going to pay off, whether you pursue a career in education, landscape design, or crop consulting.

Read Also: What Is College Credit Plus

How To Choose An Mba Program With Confidence

About Ryan Guina

Ryan Guina is the founder and editor of Cash Money Life. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over 6 years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the IL Air National Guard.

Ryan started Cash Money Life in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then. He also writes about military money topics and military and veterans benefits at The Military Wallet.

Ryan uses Personal Capital to track and manage his finances. Personal Capital is a free software program that allows him to track his net worth, balance his investment portfolio, track his income and expenses, and much more. You can open a free account here.

How To Know If A College Major Is Easy

What you classify as an easy college major is up to you. Its a subjective term mainly determined by your high school performance, dedication, and GPA. Depending on your devotion, hobbies, and interests, you may find some college majors easier than others.

That said, youll be the best person to judge an easy college major for yourself. Of course, just because youre good at something, it doesnt mean that graduating that major is a must, or necessarily easy. Thats why you need to think about what feels easy, yet interesting about a particular major. That said, its a commonplace that a student will choose a college major that they were excelling at during their secondary education. Moreover, students will find the easiest degrees among the subjects they had the best GPA at.

Read Also: How To Build Credit While In College

Easiest College Majors That Make The Most Money

If you havent decided what youll major in yet, check out these 16 easiest college majors that make the most money.

Getting out of college and finding a well-paying job is every students dream, mostly. We dream of finally seeing the results of all the years we spent studying and the sleepless nights. We comfort ourselves telling each other that it will all be worth it one day when we get superb jobs and earn loads of money. Well, in reality, things are different. We would all like a career that is rewarding and financially stable, but achieving that balance is hard, so we often must suppress our passions and go for the profitable careers.

Ljupco Smokovski/Shutterstock.com

Earlier, we gathered a list of 10 easiest colleges that will earn your money back, but today well attempt to compile a list of 16 majors that are relatively easy and profitable too.

Once again, we must emphasize that whether or not you find these majors easy is very subjective and that is OK. For example, if someone is excellent at mathematics, they will find it to be easy, while someone who studies literature will find it so hard. But according to peoples opinions, these are the easiest majors.

We present to you 16 easiest college majors that make the most money.