College Majors That Produce The Lowest Earnings After Graduation (2024)

FAQs

What major has the lowest salary? ›

A new report has revealed the lowest-paying college majors for students early in their careers. According to the analysis, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, students who majored in liberal arts, performing arts, or theology and religion, had the lowest salaries within five years of graduating college.

On average the top earning courses in terms of starting salary were medicine and dentistry; engineering and technology; economics; computer science; and education. The lowest earning courses were psychology; English; design and creative arts; biological sciences; and history and philosophy.

Computer engineering majors ranked first with an annual median salary of $80,000, followed by chemical engineering and computer science — the only two other majors that earn more than $75,000 annually. They make roughly double that of the lowest-paid majors, which tend to be degrees in the liberal arts or humanities.

The top three regret-free majors, all above 70%, are computer and information sciences, criminology, and engineering. Graduates strongly tied their sentiments toward their majors to job prospects, ZipRecruiter found. They're also less likely to regret pursuing quantitative fields.

Some popular college majors in high demand include computer science, nursing, engineering, finance, and data science. These fields offer excellent career prospects and competitive salaries.

It's possible to land a six-figure job without a college degree. Fields like data science and software engineering have many high-paying open roles. Although more companies are ditching traditional college requirements to fill talent gaps, they still require candidates to demonstrate their skills and experience.

What is the most employable degree? ›

A survey conducted by Georgetown University concluded that Naval Architecture, Metallurgical Engineering and Mining are among the least popular but highest-paying fields after college.

Early childhood education majors in the middle of their careers earn the least out of all majors. With a median annual income of $48,000, they only make $8,000 more than they do right after graduation.

Degrees with six-figure salaries

Several degrees led to a median salary of $100,000: aerospace engineering, computer science, chemical engineering and pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and administration.

The 10 majors with the lowest median earnings are: early childhood education ($39,000); human services and community organization ($41,000); studio arts, social work, teacher education, and visual and performing arts ($42,000); theology and religious vocations, and elementary education ($43,000); drama and theater arts ...

All military members, regardless of which branch they serve, are paid according to their rank, time in service, location of duty station, family members and job specialty. The lowest-ranking enlisted military service member, whether an Army private or a Navy seaman recruit, has a pay grade of E-1.