The U.S. college class of 2011 outpaced the preceding class in average starting salaries, according to a January 2012 report by the not-for-profit National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Overall, 2011 graduates at the bachelor’s degree level began their first post-graduation job with an average salary of $41,701—up 2.3 percent over the average salary for class of 2010 graduates, according to NACE’s Winter 2012 Salary Survey report.
The report shows that average starting salaries grew across the board, albeit modestly in most cases. “Graduates in the engineering and computer science disciplines fared best in terms of overall average starting salary, and computer science graduates saw the largest overall increase,” said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.
As a group, the average starting salary for engineering graduates was $61,872—up 1.5 percent over the 2010 average ($60,971). For students earning degrees in the computer science majors, the average starting salary stood at $60,594, a 4.1 percent increase over the $58,229 posted in 2010.
The data in the report represent accepted starting salaries (not salary offers), and were compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and a master set of data developed by the research firm Job Search Intelligence. Data for the winter 2012 report were retrieved in October 2011. NACE plans to provide its first look at starting salaries for the class of 2012 in April 2012.
|
Average Salaries by Discipline |
|
Discipline Group |
2010 Average Salary |
2011 Average Salary |
Percent Increase |
|
Business |
$46,378 |
$48,144 |
3.8% |
|
Communications |
$38,450 |
$39,577 |
2.9% |
|
Computer Science |
$58,229 |
$60,594 |
4.1% |
|
Education |
$37,040 |
$37,830 |
2.1% |
|
Engineering |
$60,971 |
$61,872 |
1.5% |
|
Health Sciences |
$44,451 |
$44,955 |
1.1% |
|
Humanities and Social Sciences |
$34,856 |
$35,503 |
1.9% |
|
Math and Sciences |
$39,749 |
$40,204 |
1.1% |
|
Source: NACE Winter 2012 Salary Survey. Data are starting salaries for graduates at the bachelor’s degree level. |
Top-Paying Industries
Securities/financial services employers provided the highest average starting salary for class of 2011 graduates at the bachelor’s degree level, according to the report.
The five top-paying industries and their average starting salaries were:
• Securities industry ($58,571).
• Electric power companies ($56,780).
• Nondepository credit/related activities ($53,825).
• Computer systems design ($53,547).
• Business support services ($50,280).
Among the top five, computer systems design companies provided the greatest number of opportunities, accounting for 50,000 jobs for 2011 graduates, or approximately 3 percent of the estimated 1.69 million bachelor’s degrees conferred.
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