Early data for the Class of 2017 from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) show that salaries for several majors have gained ground in comparison to this time last year, and salaries for other majors have dipped. NACE indicates that at this early juncture data are preliminary and limited.*
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Nevertheless, there are a few points worth noting.
The NACE Fall 2017 Salary Survey finds that the overall average starting salary for the Class of 2017 stands at $51,022, down 2.9 percent from the initial average salary of $52,569 for the Class of 2016 reported at this time last year.
By Major
But, even though the overall average salary has slipped, the salaries for some majors have gone up. For example, the average salary for those earning degrees in computer science now stands at $74,183, up 3.7 percent over last year’s opening salary of $71,534. Computer science majors are the highest paid Class of 2017 graduates at the bachelor’s degree level.
Graduates earning degrees in the physical sciences, e.g., chemistry, physics, and geology, have also seen an increase. Their current overall average starting salary is $47,026, up 2.5 percent from $45,872 last year.
The average starting salaries for both English and history majors are also higher than they were last year. Their current starting salaries stand at $40,466 for English majors (up 7.4 percent from $37,668) and $38,529 for history majors (up 4.3 percent from $36,923).
On the other hand, the average starting salaries for a number of disciplines have dropped.
Although engineering graduates place second on the top-paid list for 2017 bachelor’s degree graduates, their overall average salary of $64,530 is down 2.4 percent from last year’s average of $66,121. This year’s average may be more realistic, however, as last year’s average salary was up 7 percent due to one respondent reporting a large number of extremely high salaries.
The average starting salary for business majors currently stands at $52,124. This is down from last year’s starting salary of $53,836, a decrease of 3.2 percent.
Health sciences majors also lost some ground, with their overall average slipping almost 3 percent, from $52,074 to $50,564. Other than registered nursing, which barely changed, the number of reported salaries in all of the other categories but one was less than 100, emphasizing the effect that low numbers of reported salaries can have on the overall average.
Meanwhile, the overall average starting salary for mathematics/statistics graduates is also lower, and significantly so. This year’s reported salary of $53,259 is down 15 percent from last year’s average of $62,985. Again, the large dips in these salaries are correlated to the relatively low number of salaries and the limited data that is reported.
Class of 2017 psychology graduates have slightly lower salaries this year; their overall average salary is down 2.6 percent from $35,587 last year to $34,664 this year.
Degrees with the Highest Salaries
Here are the top-paid majors for Class of 2017 bachelor’s degree graduates.
| Broad Category | Number of 2017 Reported Salaries | 2017 Average Salary |
| Computer & Information Sciences | 950 | $74,183 |
| Engineering | 4,218 | $64,530 |
| Engineering Technologies | 271 | $57,619 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 593 | $54,426 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 221 | $53,259 |
| Business | 8,241 | $52,124 |
| Health Professions & Related Programs | 1,563 | $50,564 |
| Physical Sciences | 130 | $47,026 |
Source: Fall 2017 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers
*Data for the Fall 2017 Salary Survey report were collected from July 12, 2017 through September 15, 2017, and were provided by 81 colleges and universities nationwide that participate in the NACE national First-Destination Survey. The data are preliminary salaries for Class of 2017 graduates in the date range from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017. The final salary numbers for the Class of 2017 will be released in the Spring 2018 Salary Survey report.