What Major Hits Your Target Starting Salary
Results
Visualization
How It Works
The tool holds a small table of illustrative median starting salaries by major, drawn from commonly cited public figures and used here strictly as planning assumptions. It applies a degree multiplier (1.25x for a master's, a blanket assumption) and then filters to your interest area. Majors whose adjusted median meets or exceeds your target are counted as matches; if none qualify, it shows the closest five so you still get direction. The chart plots the top eight majors by adjusted median salary so you can compare fields at a glance. This is a screening aid, not a promise: real offers depend on grades, location, internship experience, and the specific employer.
What Should You Do?
Use the list as a starting point for research, not a final answer. Verify current numbers against authoritative salary surveys and your school's graduate-outcomes report, since medians hide a wide spread. Prioritize a major you can finish and enjoy, because graduation and early experience often matter more than the field's average. Consider total cost: a higher-paying major that requires an extra expensive degree may not beat a cheaper path once debt is counted. Pair this with the college savings and loan repayment tools to see whether the extra debt for a longer degree is worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these salary numbers guaranteed?
No. They are illustrative medians cited as planning assumptions. Real starting salaries vary by region, employer, grades, and experience, and can fall below these figures.
Why does a master's add 25%?
That is a simple blanket assumption used for illustration only. The real premium differs by field; some master's degrees add little, others add a lot. Check data for your specific major.
My major isn't listed, what then?
Use the closest match as a proxy and confirm with salary surveys for your exact program. The goal is direction, not an exhaustive census of every degree.
Should I pick the highest-paying major?
Not automatically. Completion risk, personal fit, and job satisfaction matter; students who struggle in a field they dislike may earn less than a happy peer in a mid-paying one.
Do these include bonuses or only base pay?
They represent illustrative base starting salaries only. Signing bonuses and overtime are excluded, so total first-year cash could differ.
How should I use this with budgeting?
Combine it with the student loan repayment simulator to check whether the debt needed for a given degree is comfortable against the expected salary.