Popular College Majors

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is kind enough to list for us the 10 most popular college majors with their average starting salaries. With Chemical Engineers bringing in an average starting salary of $55,900, we should all jump on this degree, right?! NO!

We all don’t have what it takes to be a Chemical Engineer. Even worse, we may absolutely loathe the job requirements of a Chemical Engineer. Choosing a degree that suits your personality and passions is vital, but if you want to ring in at over $40,000 a year, you should narrow down your career choices to one of the 7 popular degrees listed below:

College Degree	Average Starting Salary	Career Options	Duties/ Responsibilities
Chemical Engineering	$55,900	Work for industries or agencies with specializations in environmental regulations, pollution controls, microelectronics, biotechnology, environmental protection, pharmaceutical development, health care, food processing and more.	Chemical engineers find cost effective, safe, and environmentally sound methods by which to make a chemical process happen.
Electrical Engineering	$50,672	Earn a job in almost any industry! You can further your career by pursuing specialized job titles such as Research Engineer, Design Engineer, Project Engineer, Test Engineer, System Engineer, or Application Engineer	According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Electrical Engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use of electrical equipment with a focus on the generation and supply of power
Mechanical Engineering	$52,899	The Bureau of Labor statistics identifies Mechanical engineering as one of the broadest engineering disciplines. You can pursue a career working on machines such as electric generators, internal combustion engines, steam and gas turbines. refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, machine tools, material handling systems, elevators and escalators, industrial production equipment, and robots used in manufacturing. Mechanical engineers also design tools, work in manufacturing or agriculture production, maintenance, or technical sales, and many become administrators or managers.	According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mechanical Engineers research, design, develop, manufacture, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices.
Computer Science	$50,000	According to Rutgers University statistics, Computer Science majors enjoy careers as: Artificial Intelligence Specialists CAD/CAM Designers Computer Engineers Computer Programmers Computer Systems Managers Electronic Data Processing Auditors Operations Research Specialists Operating Systems Programmers Special Effects (FX) Specialists Systems Programmers Systems Software Developers Technical Writers And more…	Computer Science majors will deal with information processes, the structure and procedures needed to represent them, and the systems needed to implement them.
Economics	$45,723	Economics majors are needed in all walks of life and can be found employed by organization and agencies such as law firms, the government, schools, and other business and industry.	You will use decision making skills that directly relate to smart business and its application to the real world.
Accounting	$45,109	Accountants are needed in all business and industry, whether public or private, so there are a vast amount of career options available.	You must enjoy working with numbers! Accountants will, basically, ensure that financial records are kept in order and that financial practices make good financial sense!
Civil Engineering	$44,999	Civil Engineers can enjoy employment on construction sites, in local government agencies, as teachers, or in areas of research and design.	According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Civil Engineers design and supervise the construction of roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and water supply and sewage systems. Civil Engineers must be adept at understanding construction costs and expected lifetime of a project, government regulations and potential environmental hazards such as earthquakes and hurricanes.