10 top earning degrees



10 top earning degrees

by Ijeoma Ross

Staying in school has always been seen as the way to get ahead. Post-secondary education, especially a university degree, is often the ticket to the big pay cheque.  But not all degrees are created equally when it comes to earning potential. Which programs lead to the best paying jobs?

Check out our list of the top earning degrees:

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|Engineering |

|Mid-career salary: $157,000 |

|Hands down, an engineering degree is the way to go for earning potential. There are 12 different types of engineering degrees in the top 20 |

|earning degrees, including five of the top six. The degree that earns the most is petroleum engineering – working with oil and gas – at a |

|median starting salary of $93,000. (credit: GettyImages) |

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|Applied mathematics |

|Mid-career salary: $101,000 |

|As the name sounds, this is a branch of math that is applied to real world issues. It is not math for the intellectual challenge of it. It |

|is using math to solve problems such as cutting costs through improved scheduling for airlines, making the production of biofuels economical|

|or the most effective way to search a large database for two variables. The starting salary is $56,400. (credit: GettyImages) |

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|Physics |

|Mid-career salary: $99,600 |

|Closely related to both engineering and applied math, physics is the study of the interaction between matter and energy. One of the oldest |

|academic subjects, physics includes everything from sub-atomic particles to entire galaxies. While Albert Einstein’s E=mc2 is perhaps the |

|most famous advancement in physics, other developments are behind the creation of television and computers. The starting salary is about |

|$50,700. (credit: GettyImages) |

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|Economics |

|Mid-career salary: $97,800 |

|The most highly paid degree that is not a pure science. An undergraduate degree teaches you how to analyze data and behavior relating to |

|financial transactions, supply, demand and work. An economics degree also helps develop clear thinking and writing skills making a graduate|

|suitable for many analysts’ jobs including those relating to finance, investment, labour and policy. Starting salary is approximately |

|$48,800. (credit: GettyImages) |

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|Computer science |

|Mid-career salary: $97,700 |

|This is not about using a computer. A computer science degree teaches you the mathematical and theoretical background of computing. With a |

|computer science degree, you can get a job as a software developer, an IT systems engineer or a web developer. As the world gets more |

|digital, Comp. Science graduates are increasingly involved in solving our most complex problems. Starting salary is roughly $56,200. |

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|Building Construction |

|Mid-career salary: $94,500 |

|This degree is increasingly required for construction managers who oversee, plan, budget and manage construction projects. This degree |

|includes courses in construction methods, cost estimating, financial management, site planning, building codes and project management. |

|Although you may work for a large construction or development company, if you graduate with this degree you are more than likely going to be|

|self-employed. Starting salary is $52, 900. (credit: GettyImages) |

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|Statistics |

|Mid-career salary: $92,900 |

|A statistician is a person who looks at the similarities and differences between groups of measurements. You do this using the probability |

|theory and other methods related to it. Although we often hear about business, crime or political statistics in the news, statisticians |

|also work in many social, biological and physical sciences helping to provide the scientific background to many other fields. Median |

|starting salary is $50,000. (credit: GettyImages) |

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|Finance |

|Mid-career salary: $91,500 |

|This degree is about money. A degree in finance is the study of money and how to allocate resources to raise money for individuals or |

|businesses. With this degree you can become an investor, personal financial consultant or an accountant. Your courses cover the laws of |

|business, financial trading, international investing as well as micro and macroeconomic theory. Starting salary is about $47,500. (credit: |

|GettyImages) |

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|Management Information Systems |

|Mid-career salary: $90,300 |

|If information is power, these graduates are in charge. A degree in MIS teaches you how to create data systems so you can organize |

|information. You study systems that analyze information relating to cost, personnel, business systems and management control. You also |

|learn about data storage and security, system selection and personnel training. Starting salary is approximately $50,900. (credit: |

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|Mathematics |

|Mid-career salary: $88,300 |

|To get a degree in math, you study calculus, algebra and statistics – in detail. In the job market, mathematicians are divided into |

|theoretical and applied. Theoretical mathematicians develop new theories and look for relationships between existing math principles. These|

|principles can be used to solve economic, research, business or engineering problems. Applied mathematicians use their skills to solve more|

|practical problems. Starting salary is in the range of $46,400. (credit: GettyImages) |

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