Top 10 Paying College Majors

1. Petroleum Engineering

• Median starting salary: $93,000
• Median mid-career salary: $157,000

Petroleum engineers focus on building tools for improving oil and gas production. They may also oversee drilling projects or offer technical consulting to oil and gas companies.

2. Aerospace Engineering

• Median starting salary: $59,400
• Median mid-career salary: $108,000

These professionals design, operate and troubleshoot a variety of equipment required for air and space travel. This may include simulators, flight instruments, computer systems, launching and tracking devises and communication systems. Many aerospace engineers also record and analyze data from test flights.

3. Chemical Engineering

• Median starting salary: $64,800
• Median mid-career salary: $108,000

Chemical engineers focus on the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, such as plastic, synthetic rubber, detergents, gasoline, cement and paper. They apply interdisciplinary techniques from chemistry, engineering and physics to designing processes for making these materials and improving chemical plant equipment.

4. Electrical Engineering

• Median starting salary: $60,800
• Median mid-career salary: $104,000

These professionals design, operate and troubleshoot electrical equipment and systems. They may work for industrial, government, commercial or scientific organizations. Although many electrical engineers work with digital equipment, this category specifically excludes computer engineering (see below).

5. Nuclear Engineering

• Median starting salary: $63,900
• Median mid-career salary: $104,000

Nuclear engineers combine theories from engineering and nuclear science to conduct research in nuclear engineering or design and troubleshoot systems for the control, release and utilization of nuclear energy and waste materials.

6. Applied Mathematics

• Median starting salary: $56,400
• Median mid-career salary: $101,000

According to the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), there are dozens of career options available to students with degrees in applied mathematics. Emerging fields include data mining, digital imaging, finance and economics, bioinformatics, environmental science and even climatology. Some fields may require a graduate degree for advancement, but the salaries listed above are currently available to students who only hold a bachelor's degree.

7. Biomedical Engineering

• Median starting salary: $54,800
• Median mid-career salary: $101,000

These professionals combine studies in biology, engineering and biomechanics to the design, operation and troubleshooting of health systems and products. Areas of research for biomedical engineers may include medical information systems, artificial organs, medical instruments, prostheses and health management and care delivery systems.

8. Physics

• Median starting salary: $50,700
• Median mid-career salary: $99,600

Many scientific organizations require physicists to have a doctoral degree, but individuals who hold a bachelor's degree in physics may work as technicians or research assistants. Technicians help design, operate and troubleshoot equipment such as lasers, electron microscopes or research tools for the manufacturing industry. Some physics graduates find work in inspection, quality control or other production areas in industry.

9. Computer Engineering

• Median starting salary: $61,200
• Median mid-career salary: $99,500

Although new computer engineering graduates start off with a relatively high salary, their pay grade typically levels off quickly. There are two main career paths for students in computer engineering: software engineering or hardware engineering. Computer software engineers design and test computer applications, whereas computer hardware engineers design and test hardware from processing chips to computer networks. The two options typically require somewhat different paths of study.

10. Economics

• Median starting salary: $48,800
• Median mid-career salary: $97,800

Most graduates in economics find work in finance, insurance or business. A master's or doctoral degree is typically required to perform economic analysis in these fields or for government agencies. Professionals with only a bachelor's degree will typically find industry-specific work that relies on the high-level quantitative skills gained in the study of economics.

Salary information is from Pay Scale and job descriptions are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Salaries reflect annual pay for bachelor's graduates without an advanced degree. Starting graduates typically have two years of experience and mid-career professionals typically have 15 years of experience.