Facing an almost constant bombardment of college and career school ads promising to “help you land a good-paying job,” some of Bellaire’s college-bound students may not stop to consider what kind of salary they may ultimately earn with those degrees.
One prominent financial expert is encouraging parents of those students to help them carefully weigh the benefits of some degrees.
Lynn O’Shaughnessy, author of “The College Solution” and contributor to the CBS Moneywatch program, said that some highly-touted degrees may ultimately lead to graduates earning less than those who never went to college.
To illustrate her point, O’Shaughnessy has released a list of worst-paying college majors. At the bottom of the list was “child and family studies,” where the average graduate can expect a beginning salary of only $29,500.
“What’s equally discouraging is that the salary of someone in this field will barely budge after 15 years in the profession,” O’Shaughnessy noted. “Food is another common theme for students who major in the worst-paying college degrees. Students who earn degrees in horticulture, dietetics and the culinary arts are more likely to end up struggling financially.”
O’Shaughnessy’s list of worst paying college degrees for 2010 included:
College Degree Starting pay Mid-career pay
Child and family studies $29,500 $38,400
Elementary education $31,600 $44,400
Social work $31,800 $44,900
Athletic training $32,800 $45,700
Culinary arts $35,900 $50,600
Horticulture $35,000 $50,800
Paralegal studies/law $35,100 $51,300
Theology $34,700 $51,300
Recreation & leisure $33,300 $53,200
Special education $36,000 $53,800
Dietetics $40,400 $54,200
Religious studies $34,700 $54,400
Art $33,500 $54,800
Education $35,100 $54,900
Interdisciplinary studies $35,600 $55,700
Interior design $34,400 $56,600
Nutrition $42,200 $56,700
Graphic design $35,400 $56,800
Music $36,700 $57,000
Art history $39,400 $57,100
On the flip side, O’Shaughnessy also compiled a list of the 20 best paying college degrees in 2010.
Those degree programs include:
College Degree Starting Median Pay Mid-career pay
Petroleum engineering $93,000 $157,000
Aerospace engineering $59,400 $108,000
Chemical engineering $64,800 $108,000
Electrical engineering $60,800 $104,000
Nuclear engineering $63,900 $104,000
Applied mathematics $56,400 $101,000
Biomedical engineering $54,800 $101,000
Physics $50,700 $99,600
Computer engineering $61,200 $87,700
Economics $48,800 $97,800
Computer science $56,200 $97,700
Civil engineering $53,500 $93,400
Statistics $50,000 $93,400
Finance $47,500 $91,500
Software engineering $56,700 $91,300
Management info. systems $50,900 $90,300
Mathematics $46,400 $88,300
Government $41,500 $88,300
Information systems $49,300 $87,100
Construction Management $50,400 $87,000
According to O’Shaughnessy, the key to choosing the best – and most lucrative – degree program is for parents to take the time to explore programs that will both fit their students’ needs and interests while still providing adequate earning potential throughout a career.
