According to a recent survey from National Association of Colleges and Employers, or NACE, students graduating with STEM majors — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and education majors are more likely to have a higher starting salary compared to other majors.
The NACE Salary Survey looked at data from the employed graduating class of 2011 and 2012.
Engineering majors earned the highest starting salary on average, which was about $62,000 for employed students from the class of 2012.
MSU Director of Research for the Collegiate Employment Research Institute Phil Gardner said the survey reveals nothing new, and STEM majors have been on top of the salary lists for a while.
“Engineering is always the highest salaries and followed by computer science and business and then you get special degrees at MSU,” Gardner said.
Richard Chylla, executive director of MSU Technologies, worked in the chemical industry for about 20 years before working at universities. He said salaries for STEM majors are higher because, in some cases, the demand for those positions is exceeding the supply. He said some students have specialized skills that make the business a lot of money, and therefore require a higher salary.
Nutritional sciences junior Jon Weiss said he picked his major to prepare for medical school, not for the money.
“Personally, I believe that shouldn’t be your motivation to do anything you are doing,” Weiss said.
Education junior Jaclyn Botsford said money was not a motivating factor for her to choose education as her career path, which she thinks is the case for most teachers.
Education majors were on the lower end of the average starting salaries, according to the survey. But educational services was the top hiring industry, with about 444,500 new hires in 2012.
The study also found education majors have the highest percent increase in salary for the employed 2012 graduating class compared to employed 2011 graduates. There was a 5.4 percent increase in newly hired education majors’ salaries, with about $40,700 as the starting salary.
Botsford said she has not heard about new hires in education positions receiving higher salaries, but is happy about this because she has worried about making enough money.
Jeff Bale, an assistant professor of second language education in the Department of Teacher Education, said he is surprised to hear there is an increase in the salaries and teacher portions open for graduates. He said the economic downturn in 2008 forced many teachers to remain in their positions, even if they were eligible for retirement. It also caused laid-off positions not to be filled because of a lack of funding.
Bale said he is waiting to see the baby boomer generation retire and bring a wave of openings.
“As a faculty I heard this (and) when I was in graduate school — there is this baby boomer generation that (will retire and then) there will be all types of jobs and that has not panned out,” Bale said.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “Higher salaries more likely for STEM majors” on social media.
