During your interview, you can expect the question of desired salary to come up. Giving off the first 6 figure number you think of isn't the best idea. Also you don't want to give a number so low you undervalue yourself. Well look no further! NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) populates a salary survey 3 times a year to find out actual starting salaries graduates are receiving. The survey is broken down by degree level, specific program, and major for the class of 2016. The spring 2017 survey covers graduates from December 31, 2016 - April 30, 2017. Below you'll find nationwide salary averages for popular academic majors. I'll also include some other interesting stats:
Bachelor’s Degree
- Computer Information and Sciences - $71,916; 3.9 percent increase from 2015
- Engineering - $64,981
- Mathematics and Statistics - $59,727
- Business - $52,047
- Health Professions and Related Programs - $50,124
Master’s Degree
- Computer Information and Sciences - $81,619
- Engineering - $78,866
- Mathematics and Statistics - $65,197
- Business - $74,551
- Health Professions and Related Programs - $70,775
What Now?
- Average starting salary for a bachelor degree candidate is $50,359
- Majority of health sciences salaries reported had registered nursing majors. Could mean a demand for this position. (Average Salary - $54,283)
- Average Salary for specific computer science majors increased 4% from last year to $78,199
- Operations research engineering has the highest average starting salary ($82,805)
This is useful information to be used by employers and job seekers. Job seekers have an idea of the salary they should be asking for and employers will need to stay competitive and offer reasonable salaries. I still recommend using other resources such as Glassdoor, salary.com and payscale.com to find the salaries for a specific company and see what salaries are offered in any state. This is more ammo for you to feel more confident when asked the question about desired salary. Feel free to reach out for if you want more information on specific majors and starting salaries. Comment below!!
Salary information in your hand, What Now?