Math Makes Money
The National Institute of Education conducted a study comparing the scores of 550,000
college students who took the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and Graduate Management
Admission Test (GMAT), with data collected over the previous eighteen years. The study
showed that students majoring in mathematics received scores substantially higher
than the average on each of the tests.
"But I'm not interested in a grad degree! After being a college student for four years
I need to make some money!"
Not to worry! Did you know mathematicians are some of the best paid professionals
in the country?
If you want to take your bachelor degree straight to the job market, math will serve
you well, when considering potential salaries. Among bachelor's degree graduates from
the Class of 2018, those from the STEM disciplines are expected to receive the highest
starting salaries, according to results of NACE's Winter 2018 Salary Survey. Further,
the top three projected salaries are for engineering, computer sciences, and math
and sciences graduates. The following chart was extracted from the National Association
of Colleges and Employers helps emphasize this:
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Engineering degrees - Overall, the average salary for bachelor's degree graduates
is projected to be $64,891, almost the same as the 2017 projection.
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Computer science fields - Overall starting salary projected at $66,005. Two of the
three reported computer science disciplines also top the $60,000 mark, while the third-
information science and systems falls just below that mark ($59,810).
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Mathematics and Science - Graduates in these fields are expected to average $61,867, an increase of 4.2% over
2017. Those earning physics degrees will see the largest salary bump, $69,000
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Business - Majors land in the fourth spot, with a projected starting average salary of $56,720.
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Among the remaining broad categories on the list, Business, Social Science and Humanities
all average about $56,700. AG and Natural Resources average $53,565 and Communication
majors average $51,488.
