College Degrees That Earn the Most Money

New college graduates who have a background in engineering can expect to cash in when they hit the job market, a new study finds.

Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that six different engineering specialties are among the 10 highest-paid majors for recent college grads.

Specifically, computer engineering majors take home the highest staring salary of $70,400. Chemical engineering, aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics and communications engineering and civil engineering were also among the 10 highest-paid starting salaries for recent grads.

"This is not surprising since the supply of these graduates is low, but the demand for them is so high,"said NACE executive director Marilyn Mackes.

The average starting salaries for the other majors in the top 10 are:

Chemical Engineering: $66,400

Computer Science: $64,400

Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering: $64,000

Mechanical Engineering: $62,900

Electrical/Electronics and Communications Engineering: $62,300

Civil Engineering: $57,600

Finance: $57,300

Construction Science/Management: $56,600

Information Sciences and Systems: $56,100

Overall, the study found that the average starting salary of all new college grads is $44,455, up 3.4% from a year ago. Among the broad categories of majors, education, up 5.4%, business up 4.2%, and communications, up 4.1%, experienced the largest increases to their average starting salaries.

The research was based on data from approximately 400,000 employers.

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