CHARTLIST
| Rank | Major | Degree Type | Early Career Salary | Mid-Career Salary | % High Job Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Engineering | Master's Degree | $102,800 | $187,600 | 69% |
| 2 | Nurse Anesthesia | Master's Degree | $140,900 | $162,800 | 87% |
| 3 | Computer Engineering (CE) | Doctorate Degree | $108,100 | $150,000 | N/A |
| 4 | Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) | Doctorate Degree | $103,200 | $145,100 | 64% |
| 5 | Strategy | MBA Degree | $92,200 | $145,000 | 49% |
| 6 | Electrical Engineering (EE) | Doctorate Degree | $99,100 | $141,400 | 66% |
| 7 | General & Strategic Management | MBA Degree | $81,800 | $140,700 | 58% |
| 8 | Computer Science (CS) | Doctorate Degree | $110,800 | $140,600 | 66% |
| 9 | Chemical Engineering | Doctorate Degree | $91,900 | $139,300 | 63% |
| 10 | Juris Doctorate | Juris Doctorate (JD Degree) | $66,100 | $139,000 | 42% |
| 11 | Entrepreneurship | MBA Degree | $68,100 | $138,300 | 56% |
| 12 | Biomedical Engineering (BME) | Doctorate Degree | $90,300 | $136,400 | 73% |
| 13 | Marketing Management | MBA Degree | $63,000 | $135,300 | 53% |
| 14 | Computer Science (CS) & Engineering | Doctorate Degree | $102,700 | $132,900 | 73% |
| 15 | Economics | MBA Degree | $71,400 | $131,800 | 43% |
| 16 | Physics | Doctorate Degree | $84,000 | $131,300 | 63% |
| 17 | Computer Science (CS) | MBA Degree | $83,000 | $129,900 | 51% |
| 18 | Marketing & International Business | MBA Degree | $61,700 | $128,200 | 35% |
| 19 | Economics | Doctorate Degree | $95,900 | $127,900 | 73% |
| 20 | Finance | MBA Degree | $68,300 | $126,800 | 47% |
| 21 | Organic Chemistry | Doctorate Degree | $77,500 | $126,700 | 62% |
| 22 | Business Management & Marketing | MBA Degree | $61,000 | $126,600 | 53% |
| 23 | Marketing & Management | MBA Degree | $64,000 | $126,200 | 50% |
| 24 | Mechanical Engineering (ME) | Doctorate Degree | $87,400 | $125,600 | 66% |
| 25 | Business & Marketing | MBA Degree | $59,000 | $124,800 | 46% |
| 26 | Electrical Engineering (EE) | Master's Degree | $78,200 | $124,700 | 61% |
| 27 | Marketing (MKTG) | MBA Degree | $59,300 | $124,200 | 48% |
| 28 | Computer Science (CS) & Engineering | Master's Degree | $87,000 | $123,300 | 51% |
| 28 | Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) | Master's Degree | $78,700 | $123,300 | 61% |
| 30 | Corporate Finance | MBA Degree | $77,000 | $122,800 | N/A |
| 30 | Aerospace Engineering | Doctorate Degree | $89,300 | $122,800 | 49% |
| 32 | Operations Research | Master's Degree | $78,800 | $122,700 | 70% |
| 33 | Nuclear Engineering | Master's Degree | $70,500 | $122,600 | 70% |
| 33 | Chemistry | Doctorate Degree | $79,400 | $122,600 | 67% |
| 35 | Chemical Engineering | Master's Degree | $73,900 | $122,100 | 55% |
| 36 | Mechanical Engineering (ME) | MBA Degree | $80,600 | $122,000 | 58% |
| 37 | Computer Engineering (CE) | Master's Degree | $82,300 | $121,500 | 55% |
| 38 | Applied Mathematics | Master's Degree | $62,000 | $121,300 | 54% |
| 38 | Materials Science & Engineering | Doctorate Degree | $89,400 | $121,300 | 67% |
| 40 | Statistics | Doctorate Degree | $100,000 | $120,300 | 68% |
| 41 | Analytical Chemistry | Doctorate Degree | $80,000 | $120,000 | 81% |
| 42 | Computer Science (CS) | Master's Degree | $79,700 | $119,500 | 50% |
| 42 | Information Technology (IT) | MBA Degree | $70,700 | $119,500 | 45% |
| 44 | Management Information Systems (MIS) | MBA Degree | $68,300 | $118,700 | 46% |
| 45 | Biomedical Engineering (BME) | Master's Degree | $66,800 | $118,400 | 85% |
| 46 | Systems Engineering | Master's Degree | $76,700 | $117,600 | 67% |
| 47 | Information Technology Management | Master's Degree | $62,500 | $117,300 | 55% |
| 48 | Physics | Master's Degree | $64,700 | $117,100 | 46% |
| 49 | Microbiology | Doctorate Degree | $70,200 | $117,000 | 68% |
| 49 | Cell & Molecular Biology | Doctorate Degree | $71,200 | $117,000 | 73% |
| 51 | Aerospace Engineering | Master's Degree | $74,400 | $116,500 | 67% |
| 52 | Taxation | Master's Degree | $58,200 | $116,400 | 29% |
| 53 | Engineering Management | Master's Degree | $70,100 | $116,200 | 56% |
| 54 | Software Engineering | Master's Degree | $79,100 | $115,900 | 48% |
| 54 | International Business | MBA Degree | $58,300 | $115,900 | 51% |
| 56 | Operations & Supply Chain Management | MBA Degree | $74,800 | $115,800 | 49% |
| 57 | Industrial Engineering (IE) | Doctorate Degree | $81,100 | $115,500 | 86% |
| 58 | Information Systems (IS) | MBA Degree | $58,800 | $115,200 | 39% |
| 59 | Operations Management (OM) | MBA Degree | $71,700 | $115,000 | 59% |
| 60 | Accounting & Finance | MBA Degree | $62,100 | $114,500 | 49% |
| 61 | Materials Science & Engineering | Master's Degree | $70,000 | $113,900 | 60% |
| 62 | Economics | Master's Degree | $61,600 | $113,600 | 41% |
| 62 | Biochemistry (BCH) | Doctorate Degree | $81,500 | $113,600 | 85% |
| 64 | Finance | Master's Degree | $62,200 | $113,400 | 40% |
| 64 | Telecommunications | Master's Degree | $72,100 | $113,400 | 50% |
| 66 | Information Assurance | Master's Degree | $66,200 | $112,900 | 45% |
| 66 | Civil Engineering (CE) | Doctorate Degree | $74,000 | $112,900 | 87% |
| 68 | Human Computer Interaction | Master's Degree | $82,500 | $112,700 | 36% |
| 69 | Business & Information Technology (IT) | MBA Degree | $80,100 | $112,600 | 55% |
| 70 | Industrial Engineering (IE) | Master's Degree | $69,200 | $112,000 | 53% |
| 71 | Mechanical Engineering (ME) | Master's Degree | $70,000 | $111,500 | 60% |
| 72 | General Business | MBA Degree | $61,600 | $110,000 | 49% |
| 73 | Statistics | Master's Degree | $66,200 | $108,400 | 61% |
| 74 | Computer Information Systems (CIS) | Master's Degree | $64,900 | $108,300 | 46% |
| 75 | Computer Information Systems (CIS) | MBA Degree | $70,300 | $108,200 | 52% |
| 75 | Supply Chain Management | MBA Degree | $70,500 | $108,200 | 45% |
| 77 | Supply Chain Management | Master's Degree | $62,400 | $108,000 | 62% |
| 77 | Business Administration | Doctorate Degree | $78,600 | $108,000 | 73% |
| 79 | Project Management | Master's Degree | $66,600 | $107,800 | 52% |
| 80 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Doctorate Degree | $76,100 | $107,600 | 80% |
| 81 | Information Systems (IS) | Master's Degree | $65,900 | $107,500 | 41% |
| 82 | Information Security | Master's Degree | $72,100 | $106,600 | 42% |
| 83 | Management Information Systems (MIS) | Master's Degree | $68,200 | $106,500 | 49% |
| 84 | Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) Studies | Master's Degree | $87,300 | $106,400 | 86% |
| 85 | Business & Information Technology (IT) | Master's Degree | $64,900 | $105,500 | 58% |
| 86 | Information Technology (IT) | Master's Degree | $64,500 | $104,700 | 52% |
| 87 | Applied Statistics | Master's Degree | $67,500 | $103,800 | 63% |
| 88 | Structural Engineering (SE) | Master's Degree | $61,600 | $103,600 | 67% |
| 89 | Leadership | MBA Degree | $62,300 | $103,000 | 56% |
| 90 | Geology | Master's Degree | $56,600 | $102,700 | 63% |
| 91 | Civil Engineering (CE) | Master's Degree | $58,700 | $102,600 | 65% |
| 92 | Organizational Development | Master's Degree | $58,900 | $102,400 | 49% |
| 93 | Marketing & Communications | MBA Degree | $48,000 | $101,700 | 46% |
| 94 | Food Science & Technology | Master's Degree | $53,800 | $101,400 | 48% |
| 95 | Mathematics | Doctorate Degree | $78,400 | $101,300 | 77% |
| 96 | Physician Assistant Studies | Master's Degree | $84,400 | $101,200 | 83% |
| 96 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Studies | Master's Degree | $90,200 | $101,200 | 86% |
| 98 | Construction Management | Master's Degree | $59,600 | $101,000 | 67% |
| 98 | International Business | Master's Degree | $53,100 | $101,000 | 33% |
| 100 | Business Administration | MBA Degree | $58,100 | $100,900 | 54% |
| 101 | Environmental Engineering | Master's Degree | $58,600 | $100,800 | 66% |
| 102 | Civil & Environmental Engineering | Master's Degree | $58,300 | $100,200 | 75% |
| 103 | Accounting & Taxation | Master's Degree | $59,500 | $100,000 | 38% |
| 104 | Environmental Management | Master's Degree | $50,900 | $99,800 | 72% |
| 105 | Adult Nurse Practitioner Studies | Master's Degree | $85,900 | $99,500 | 84% |
| 106 | International Relations | Master's Degree | $50,100 | $98,900 | 63% |
| 107 | Communication | MBA Degree | $56,800 | $97,600 | 56% |
| 108 | Psychology | Doctorate Degree | $66,000 | $96,900 | 83% |
| 108 | Health Care Administration | MBA Degree | $63,700 | $96,900 | 80% |
| 110 | Industrial Psychology | Master's Degree | $51,000 | $96,600 | 56% |
| 111 | Business & Marketing | Master's Degree | $52,900 | $96,000 | 39% |
| 112 | Occupational Health and Safety | Master's Degree | $61,300 | $95,700 | 75% |
| 113 | Mathematics | Master's Degree | $60,300 | $95,400 | 61% |
| 114 | Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Studies | Master's Degree | $84,000 | $95,200 | 85% |
| 115 | Clinical Psychology | Doctorate Degree | $67,600 | $95,000 | 90% |
| 116 | Nurse Practitioner Studies | Master's Degree | $85,500 | $94,600 | 83% |
| 117 | Business Administration | Master's Degree | $57,500 | $94,400 | 58% |
| 117 | Biology | Doctorate Degree | $67,000 | $94,400 | 77% |
| 119 | Health Care Administration | Master's Degree | $59,500 | $94,300 | 84% |
| 120 | Nurse Midwifery | Master's Degree | $81,800 | $93,600 | 85% |
| 121 | Epidemiology | Doctorate Degree | $78,000 | $93,200 | 69% |
| 122 | Marketing & Management | Master's Degree | $51,500 | $92,700 | 54% |
| 123 | Project Management | MBA Degree | $60,000 | $92,100 | 59% |
| 124 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Master's Degree | $54,500 | $92,000 | N/A |
| 125 | Geotechnical Engineering | Master's Degree | $59,600 | $91,600 | 70% |
| 126 | Political Science (PolySci) | Master's Degree | $48,700 | $91,400 | 49% |
| 127 | Accounting | MBA Degree | $52,300 | $91,300 | 45% |
| 128 | Biotechnology | Master's Degree | $56,100 | $90,900 | 66% |
| 129 | General Business | Master's Degree | $51,300 | $90,800 | 62% |
| 130 | Physical Therapy | Doctorate Degree | $68,500 | $90,700 | N/A |
| 131 | Accounting | Master's Degree | $54,900 | $90,200 | 36% |
| 132 | Health Care Management | MBA Degree | $55,300 | $89,800 | 82% |
| 133 | Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $53,200 | $89,100 | 70% |
| 134 | Chemistry | Master's Degree | $52,600 | $88,500 | 67% |
| 134 | Nursing | Master's Degree | $79,800 | $88,500 | 84% |
| 134 | Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Studies | Master's Degree | $79,600 | $88,500 | 88% |
| 137 | Marketing & Communications | Master's Degree | $46,000 | $88,400 | 55% |
| 137 | Networks & Telecommunications | Master's Degree | $75,900 | $88,400 | 61% |
| 139 | Epidemiology | Master's Degree | $53,900 | $88,200 | 80% |
| 140 | Organizational Management | Master's Degree | $51,900 | $87,700 | 63% |
| 141 | Accounting & Finance | Master's Degree | $55,200 | $87,600 | 49% |
| 142 | Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Studies | Master's Degree | $81,700 | $87,300 | 87% |
| 143 | Management & Leadership | Master's Degree | $57,300 | $86,300 | 65% |
| 144 | Food Science | Master's Degree | $55,200 | $86,100 | 57% |
| 145 | Sociology | Doctorate Degree | $65,500 | $86,000 | 83% |
| 146 | Human Resources (HR) | MBA Degree | $44,900 | $85,800 | 58% |
| 147 | Human Resources (HR) | Master's Degree | $50,600 | $85,600 | 50% |
| 148 | Accounting & Business | MBA Degree | $51,700 | $85,400 | 56% |
| 149 | Biochemistry (BCH) | Master's Degree | $47,600 | $85,300 | 68% |
| 150 | Environmental Science | Master's Degree | $49,700 | $85,000 | 72% |
| 151 | Health Sciences | Master's Degree | $60,000 | $84,900 | 73% |
| 151 | Business Management & Human Resources Management (HRM) | MBA Degree | $49,700 | $84,900 | 61% |
| 153 | Landscape Architecture | Master's Degree | $45,400 | $84,400 | 71% |
| 154 | Counseling Psychology | Doctorate Degree | $62,500 | $84,200 | 89% |
| 155 | Education | Doctorate Degree | $61,300 | $83,500 | 85% |
| 156 | Physical Therapy | Master's Degree | $72,700 | $83,400 | 93% |
| 157 | Urban & Regional Planning | Master's Degree | $51,100 | $82,300 | 59% |
| 158 | History | Doctorate Degree | $51,300 | $81,800 | N/A |
| 159 | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | Master's Degree | $49,600 | $81,400 | 42% |
| 160 | Human Resources Management (HRM) | Master's Degree | $48,500 | $81,300 | 60% |
| 160 | Speech-Language Pathology | Master's Degree | $64,300 | $81,300 | 91% |
| 160 | Urban Planning | Master's Degree | $51,100 | $81,300 | 68% |
| 163 | Microbiology | Master's Degree | $43,000 | $81,100 | 78% |
| 164 | Occupational Therapy (OT) | Master's Degree | $64,100 | $80,800 | 89% |
| 165 | Human Resources Management (HRM) | MBA Degree | $48,500 | $80,700 | 65% |
| 166 | Accounting & Business | Master's Degree | $56,100 | $80,500 | 50% |
| 167 | Organizational Leadership | Master's Degree | $50,700 | $80,300 | 60% |
| 168 | Biology | Master's Degree | $49,300 | $80,200 | 68% |
| 169 | Speech Pathology | Master's Degree | $61,200 | $79,500 | 91% |
| 170 | Human Resources Development | Master's Degree | $51,300 | $79,100 | 54% |
| 171 | Communication | Master's Degree | $46,100 | $78,200 | 51% |
| 172 | Public Relations (PR) | Master's Degree | $42,200 | $77,900 | 53% |
| 173 | Architecture | Master's Degree | $45,700 | $77,800 | 56% |
| 174 | Leadership | Master's Degree | $48,600 | $77,700 | 66% |
| 174 | Speech Pathology & Audiology | Master's Degree | $65,800 | $77,700 | 90% |
| 176 | Journalism & Mass Communication | Master's Degree | $43,100 | $77,300 | 50% |
| 177 | English Literature | Master's Degree | $44,700 | $77,200 | 58% |
| 178 | Communication Sciences & Disorders | Master's Degree | $56,700 | $77,100 | 88% |
| 179 | Public Administration | Master's Degree | $46,800 | $76,700 | 69% |
| 180 | Public Health (PH) | Master's Degree | $51,200 | $76,600 | 81% |
| 181 | Communicative Disorders | Master's Degree | $60,900 | $75,500 | 95% |
| 182 | Educational Administration | Master's Degree | $57,900 | $75,100 | 86% |
| 183 | Instructional Design | Master's Degree | $54,600 | $74,500 | 63% |
| 184 | Nursing Education | Master's Degree | $64,200 | $74,000 | 89% |
| 185 | Geography | Master's Degree | $47,400 | $73,300 | 64% |
| 186 | Nonprofit Management | Master's Degree | $44,600 | $73,200 | 86% |
| 187 | Journalism | Master's Degree | $43,000 | $73,100 | 49% |
| 188 | History | Master's Degree | $42,500 | $73,000 | 62% |
| 189 | Adult Education & Training | Master's Degree | $46,000 | $72,500 | 67% |
| 190 | English Language & Literature | Master's Degree | $45,500 | $72,000 | 71% |
| 191 | Writing | Master's Degree | $42,000 | $71,800 | N/A |
| 192 | Educational Leadership | Master's Degree | $54,200 | $70,900 | 85% |
| 193 | Psychology | Master's Degree | $43,400 | $68,700 | 76% |
| 194 | Community Health Education | Master's Degree | $42,300 | $68,000 | 94% |
| 195 | Educational Technology (EDT) | Master's Degree | $48,700 | $67,600 | 69% |
| 196 | English Language | Master's Degree | $43,000 | $65,600 | 60% |
| 196 | Nutrition | Master's Degree | $49,500 | $65,600 | 73% |
| 198 | Fine Arts | Master's Degree | $42,500 | $65,100 | 57% |
| 199 | Education | Master's Degree | $43,900 | $65,000 | 75% |
| 200 | Art History | Master's Degree | $39,700 | $64,900 | 59% |
| 201 | Applied Behavior Analysis | Master's Degree | $51,200 | $64,300 | 85% |
| 202 | Clinical Psychology | Master's Degree | $41,800 | $62,800 | 81% |
| 203 | Criminal Justice | Master's Degree | $40,700 | $62,600 | 69% |
| 203 | Foods & Nutrition | Master's Degree | $50,100 | $62,600 | 72% |
| 205 | Sociology | Master's Degree | $45,300 | $61,700 | 67% |
| 206 | Creative Writing | Master's Degree | $42,200 | $61,500 | 54% |
| 207 | Marriage & Family Therapy | Master's Degree | $42,400 | $60,600 | 89% |
| 208 | Dietetics | Master's Degree | $44,900 | $60,200 | 90% |
| 209 | Clinical Social Work (CSW) | Master's Degree | $44,000 | $60,000 | 88% |
| 210 | School Counseling | Master's Degree | $42,300 | $59,800 | 84% |
| 211 | Library & Information Science | Master's Degree | $44,800 | $59,500 | 66% |
| 211 | Special Education | Master's Degree | $42,600 | $59,500 | 89% |
| 213 | Curriculum & Instruction | Master's Degree | $44,000 | $59,400 | 79% |
| 214 | Counseling Psychology | Master's Degree | $41,500 | $59,300 | 84% |
| 215 | Anthropology | Master's Degree | $44,400 | $58,900 | 55% |
| 216 | Library Science | Master's Degree | $41,300 | $58,600 | 57% |
| 217 | Higher Education Administration | Master's Degree | $42,100 | $57,400 | 73% |
| 217 | Social Work (SW) | Master's Degree | $42,400 | $57,400 | 88% |
| 219 | Studio Art | Master's Degree | $40,300 | $56,800 | 63% |
| 220 | Theology | Master's Degree | $45,100 | $56,300 | 87% |
| 221 | Pastoral Ministry | Master's Degree | $47,000 | $55,500 | 95% |
| 222 | Elementary Education | Master's Degree | $39,400 | $55,000 | 85% |
| 223 | Counseling | Master's Degree | $40,100 | $54,700 | 85% |
| 224 | Exercise Science | Master's Degree | $39,800 | $54,600 | 70% |
| 225 | Divinity | Master's Degree | $42,400 | $53,800 | 92% |
| 226 | Religion | Master's Degree | $41,000 | $53,700 | 82% |
| 227 | Mental Health Counseling | Master's Degree | $40,000 | $52,300 | 88% |
| 228 | Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) | Master's Degree | $40,300 | $51,600 | 82% |
| 229 | Community Counseling | Master's Degree | $39,400 | $51,400 | 91% |
| 230 | Human Services (HS) | Master's Degree | $37,900 | $49,000 | 70% |
| 231 | Counselor Education & Counseling Psychology | Master's Degree | $41,100 | $48,200 | 85% |
| 232 | Early Childhood Education | Master's Degree | $36,700 | $46,300 | 85% |
Earning a graduate degree is a great investment in your future if you choose wisely. Some degrees pay you back, but others don't do much to increase your earning potential. For the first time ever, PayScale ranks how different majors for graduate degrees compare based on alumni salaries.
If the highest earning graduate degree looks familiar, you've probably seen our list of bachelor's degree majors ranked by salary potential. Petroleum engineering is the subject that tops both lists, though it's interesting to note that a master's degree in petroleum engineering earns a median mid-career salary of $187,600, a mere $10,000 more than a bachelor's degree in the same subject. No matter what degree level you obtain in petroleum engineering, you'll probably have an easy time finding a high-paying job.
A master's degree in nurse anesthesia leads to the second-highest mid-career median salary on our list ($162,800) and the highest early career salary ($140,900). Nurse anesthetists earn high salaries because they provide critical services to hospitals at lower costs than doctors performing the same duties.
The third highest salaries belong to workers who hold a PhD in computer engineering. These tech geniuses report earning $150,000 after 10 years in the workforce.
The highest-earning MBA emphasis is strategy, with a median mid-career salary of $145,000.
If you want to study law, your salary potential will vary wildly depending on where you attend law school, but JD alumni report a median mid-career salary of $139,300, making a juris doctor the tenth most lucrative graduate degree on PayScale's list.
Finally, the lowest salaries of grad school alumni belong to workers who hold a master's degree in early childhood education ($46,300).
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