Back to Data Tables
Download to excel

NCSES RCG 2010 DST 1_2 SAS Output
Table 1-2. Median salary of recent graduates with bachelor's degrees in science, engineering, or health, by major field of degree: October 2010
 

Major field              Median salary for full-time
employed ($)a
SE
All fields 42,000 500
Science 36,000 500
Biological/ agricultural/ environmental life sciences 35,000 500
Agricultural/ food sciences 37,000 4,000
Biological sciences 35,000 500
Environmental life sciences 33,000 4,000
Computer/ information sciences 50,000 1,500
Mathematics/ statistics 39,000 1,000
Physical and related sciences 38,000 3,500
Chemistry, except biochemistry 36,000 2,500
Earth/ atmospheric/ ocean sciencesb 39,000 4,500
Physics/ astronomy 48,000 2,000
Psychology 30,000 500
Social and related sciences 35,000 500
Economics 45,000 1,000
Political and related sciences 34,000 1,000
Sociology/ anthropology 34,000 2,500
Other social sciences 33,000 4,500
Engineering 58,000 500
Chemical engineering 65,000 1,500
Civil/ architectural engineering 53,000 1,500
Electrical/ computer engineering 62,000 1,500
Industrial engineering 58,000 1,500
Mechanical engineering 58,000 500
Other engineering 58,000 2,000
Health 49,000 1,500

SE = standard error.
a Salary data are for principal job only. Full-time employed persons are those working at least 35 hours per week at their principal job. Self-employed persons and full-time students are excluded from salary data.
b Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences includes other physical sciences.
NOTES: Salaries are rounded to the nearest $1,000. Standard errors for salaries are rounded up to the nearest $500. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. Estimates are from recent college graduates who received bachelor's or master's degrees in science, engineering, or health fields in the 2008 and 2009 academic years; estimates may differ from degree counts published elsewhere.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Survey of Recent College Graduates, 2010.
Data from survey cycle 2010, as of September 19, 2012.