salary vs. major

Parents Forum
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<p>These are majors at UC Berkeley ranked by median starting salary (highest to lowest) for Fall 2005/Spring 2006 graduates. Any suprises? The average starting salary for a poli sci major is actually higher than that of a bioengineering major.</p>

<p>Computer Science $75,000
EECS $66,000
Materials Science & Engr $60,500
Mechanical Engineering $59,000
IEOR $58,000
Applied Mathematics $58,000
Engineering Science $58,000
Cognitive Science $57,000
Chemical Engineering $56,431
Civil Engineering $56,000
Business Administration $55,000
Economics $53,000
Statistics $52,000
Mathematics $46,280
PEIS $45,000
Environ Economics & Policy $45,000
Legal Studies $43,000
Bioengineering $41,600
Political Science $41,000
American Studies $41,000
Environmental Sciences $40,800
Chemistry $40,000
Architecture $39,760
Intedisciplinary Studies $39,680
Social Welfare $38,028
History $38,000
Public Health $37,440
Sociology $37,248
Nutritional Sciences $37,241
Film $37,013
Mass Communications $36,000
Rhetoric $35,250
English $35,000
Psychology $35,000
MCB $34,000
Linguistics $33,560
Integrative Biology $33,280
Cons & Res Studies $33,280
Anthropology $32,000
Molecular Environ Biology $32,000
Physics $31,200
Chemical Biology $31,200
Astrophysics $27,040 </p>

<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/CarDest/2006Majors.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/CarDest/2006Majors.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>LOL anthropology majors start higher than physics majors?</p>

<p>And where are these cognitive science people ending up? My sis did her ph.d in that field - at Yale - and she is dirt poor.</p>

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<p>One obvious issue is that certain majors predispose themselves to additional education (legal studies, psychology, physics, for example). It seems weird to me to compare the after-graduation incomes of a legal studies major, who is likely looking at law school, to a mechanical engineering major, which is a very pre-professional field.</p>

4

<p>nauru-</p>

<p>Most CogSci majors end up working in high-tech fields. Working in systems support, website design, programming, etc... at least the ones with BA/BS degrees do. What does your sister do? What did she focus on for her undergrad work?</p>

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<p>These are starting salaries for undergraduates only.</p>

<p>Legal studies: 43% employed, 22% in grad school, 16% unemployed
Mechanical engineering: 45% employed, 32% in grad school, 13% unemployed</p>

<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/LegalStud.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/LegalStud.stm&lt;/a>
<a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/MechEngr.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/MechEngr.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>not that different...</p>

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<p>Id like to see the percentage of graduates employed in those fields- as compared to starting salaries.
If only 50% of polisci grads with a BA, are employed in their field are included as compared to 80% of compsci grads- the statistics aren't as helpful</p>

<p>( and where the heck are you going to be getting work as an astrophysicist with only a BA?)</p>

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<p>You can find the data here: <a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>For the class of 2006:
poli sci: 48% employed, 11% unemployed
comp sci: 66% employed, 9% unemployed</p>

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<p>that is interesting-thanks
But I was surprised that Berkeley only had 75 graduates in physics- </p>

<p>Its interesting where people end up. D has one friend in a Phd psych program, one who graduated in anthro who is working as a EMT -paramedic and loves it, a couple who have degrees in poli sci-psych who are journalists... and this is within 5 years after graduation- who knows what they will be doing in 10.
( and interestingly enough several students from her highschool graduating class- are now teaching in the high school- quite a percentage, since the class was less than 20)</p>

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<p>If I recall correctly, I believe these lists include graduate student salaries, which dramatically effects your salary coming out of undergrad...</p>

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<p>nope, it says bachelor's degree recipients here: <a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/CarDest/2006Campus.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/CarDest/2006Campus.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>What I meant is, it includes undergraduates who went straight to graduate school, their salaries are much less than their non-graduate school counterparts.</p>

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<p>s1185 posted - "These are starting salaries for undergraduates only.
Legal studies: 43% employed, 22% in grad school, 16% unemployed
Mechanical engineering: 45% employed, 32% in grad school, 13% unemployed"</p>

<p>I guess I am confused because your numbers don't add up:
for Legal Studies...43%+22%+16%=81%
for Mechanical Engineering...45%+32%+13%=90%</p>

<p>What happened to the other 19% of Legal Studies students and 10% of Mechanical Engineering students if they are not employed, not unemployed, or not in grad school?</p>

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<p>Click the links s1185 was referring to above:</p>

<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/LegalStud.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/LegalStud.stm&lt;/a>
<a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/MechEngr.stm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/MechEngr.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The other 19% for Legal Studies and 10% for Mechanical Engineering are in the category "Other Endeavors" aka "Slacking"...</p>

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<p>Charbroil-</p>

<p>Cognitive science people end up in website design and programming? I think you must be confusing it with compsci... My sis basically studied how people learn. I don't really know the details well enough to explain it to you.</p>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_science%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_science&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I am not confusing CogSci with CompSci. Read the following page from Indiana University's website: <a href="http://www.cogs.indiana.edu/underg/opportunities.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cogs.indiana.edu/underg/opportunities.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>You never answered my question. What does your sister do? I am interested because I am a CogSci major myself.</p>

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<p>S's hs newsletter came yesterday with alumni news. Someone who graduated from college in May 06 with a psychology degree is now working for the US State Dept in Kazakhstan (sp?). In the embassy or whatever. What would a psych major be doing there?</p>

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<p>S11, though I may be off hear, it seems to be that a lot of those legal studies majors who didn't go on to law school either 1) need to make some money for law school, or 2) didn't get in, or 3) decided to do something different. I would expect incomes to be lower in each of these cases. Engineering majors graduate with the ability to work a particular job right away. Law Studies majors working after graduation have no real training for anything besides law school or a PhD program. Students who need to make money for law school or who decide to do something unrelated are going to end up working some random job that doesn't require any particular, special skills (unlike engineering kids working after graduation). That results in lower salaries. Students who are working because they didn't get into law school are presumably the lowest achievers of the major. I don't think the comparison between their income levels after graduation is fair or complete because, though the percentage of students going onto grad school or working may be similar, students with engineering degrees can work in their field without additional training; the same is not true for Law Studies majors, who are prepared for graduate school or any job that has a non-specific BA requirement. The students who don't go to law school are of course going to have lower salaries because they 1) aren't in law school, many reasons for which can contribute to a lower salary, and 2) are working in jobs that don't require any specific training.</p>

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<p>mercymom: The Foreign Service takes people from any major. <a href="http://www.careers.state.gov%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.careers.state.gov&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>corranged: It is pretty much common sense that engineering majors get paid more than other majors. That is not my point. But in the list you see bioengineering (a supposedly competitive major with good career prospects) around the same level as amercian studies (a notorious slacker major housing star athletes). And legal studies is higher than bioengineering. The distinctions are not clear-cut.</p>

<p>Jobs not requiring specialized knowledge don't necessarily pay less. I-banks and consulting firms don't pick people by major - if you go to a top ranked school and have the requisite gpa, then you get the interview.</p>

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<p>Materials Science & Engr $60,500
Mechanical Engineering $59,000 </p>

<p>Im doubling, do I get to add them :)?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Cognitive science people end up in website design and programming?

[/quote]
Not suprising. Compsci ppl can write the webpages, but cog sci people no what people want to see and how they respond do different things.</p>