Degrees by Salary: What Different Degrees Typically Pay

Choosing a degree is a large decision, and salary is one part of it. This guide gives you realistic figures for what graduates in eight common fields typically earn, using published data from official sources. Every number on this page is a median from a named source, not a promise about what you will earn. Read the figures as a guide to how fields compare, then check the sources yourself before you make a decision.

How to Read the Numbers on This Page

A median is the middle point of a pay range. If the median pay for software developers is $133,080, half of all software developers earn more than that amount and half earn less. A median is not an average, and it is not a starting salary. New graduates usually earn less than the median, and experienced workers usually earn more.

Most figures on this page come from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, using median annual wages from May 2024. The Handbook covers hundreds of occupations and is the most widely used official source for US pay data. The figures describe workers in the United States, across all employers and all experience levels.

We also give figures from the United Kingdom, from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Graduate Outcomes survey, which asks UK graduates what they earn about 15 months after finishing their degree. That is a different measure from the US figures, so do not compare the US and UK numbers directly. They cover different career stages, different labor markets, and different currencies.

Salaries vary by country, by city, by employer, and by experience. Use these figures to compare fields, not to predict your own first paycheck.

At a Glance: Median Pay by Field

For comparison, the median annual wage for all US occupations was $49,500 in May 2024. Every field in the table above sits well above that line, which is one reason these degrees are in demand.

Computer Science

Computer science graduates most often work as software developers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $133,080 for software developers in May 2024. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $79,850, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $211,450. That wide range shows how much pay depends on where you work. Developers at software publishers earned a median of $149,990, while those in computer systems design earned $129,890.

Employment of software developers is projected to grow 15 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 129,200 openings a year. The demand is strong, but employers look for real projects and practical skill, not just a degree.

Engineering

Engineering covers several branches, and pay differs between them. Civil engineers earned a median of $99,590 in May 2024. Mechanical engineers earned a median of $102,320. Electrical engineers earned a median of $111,910. As a rough guide, engineering graduates in the United States can expect a median in the range of about $99,000 to $112,000, depending on the branch.

Pay also varies by industry. Mechanical engineers in oil and gas extraction earn far more than those in general manufacturing. The degree gives you a strong base, but the industry you enter and the license you hold shape your pay. A professional license, earned after several years of supervised work, opens the higher paid roles.

Medicine

Medicine pays the most of any field on this page, and it also takes the longest to enter. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that physicians and surgeons earned a median annual wage of at least $239,200 in May 2024. The Bureau reports the figure this way because its wage tables cap reported medians at $239,200, so the true median is higher. Pay varies a great deal by specialty. General pediatricians earn toward the lower end of physician pay, while surgeons and specialists in fields such as cardiology earn far more.

The long training is the catch. A medical degree is followed by several years of residency, and in many countries a medical qualification from one country does not automatically let you practice in another. Check licensing rules in the country where you plan to work before you enroll.

Business

Business graduates go into a wide range of roles, and pay varies with the role. Financial analysts earned a median of $101,350 in May 2024. Management analysts, the closest official category to management consulting and business analysis, earned a median of $101,190. Both figures are about double the median for all US occupations.

Business is a broad degree, and that breadth cuts both ways. It keeps many doors open, but it does not by itself signal a specific skill. Graduates who pair a business degree with a clear skill, such as financial modeling, data analysis, or supply chain work, tend to do better than those who rely on the degree alone.

Law

Lawyers earned a median annual wage of $151,160 in May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is one of the highest medians of any occupation that starts with a university degree. But law is also one of the most uneven fields. Pay depends heavily on the type of practice. Lawyers at large corporate firms earn far more than those in public service, legal aid, or small local practices.

Law is also a field where the qualification does not travel easily. A law degree from one country usually does not qualify you to practice in another without further study or exams. Check the licensing rules for the country where you plan to practice before you commit.

Data Science

Data scientists earned a median annual wage of $112,590 in May 2024. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $63,650, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $194,410. That spread is wide, and it reflects how new the field is. The title covers people who build machine learning models, people who run business reports, and people who work on research problems, and the pay for those roles is very different.

Employment of data scientists is projected to grow by about a third from 2024 to 2034, one of the fastest growth rates in the Handbook. Employers want candidates who can turn data into working software, not just run a model in a notebook.

Nursing

Registered nurses earned a median annual wage of $93,600 in May 2024. The figure is often a surprise to students from countries where nursing pays far less. In the United States, nursing is a licensed profession with strong demand, and hospitals compete for qualified nurses. Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow about 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, with roughly 189,100 openings a year.

Nursing is also one of the most portable degrees in health care. Many countries have nursing shortages, and several run dedicated visa routes for nurses. The catch is licensing. A nursing qualification from one country usually needs to be recognized by the nursing regulator in the country where you want to work, and that process can include an exam and a language test. Check the regulator’s rules before you choose a program.

Education

Education pays less than the other fields on this page, and it is honest to say so. Postsecondary teachers, who teach at colleges and universities, earned a median of $83,980 in May 2024. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers earned a median of $62,310. These figures are above the median for all occupations, but they are well below the figures for technology, law, and medicine.

Teaching has other rewards that do not show up in a salary table, such as long holidays, job security in public schools, and pension benefits. But a student who chooses education mainly for the pay will be disappointed.

What the UK Data Shows

The UK picture comes from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Graduate Outcomes survey. For graduates from the 2023/24 academic year, the overall median salary for UK graduates in full-time paid work in the UK was £30,000 about 15 months after graduation, up from £28,500 for the previous cohort.

Pay varied widely by subject. Medicine and dentistry graduates recorded the highest median salary at £43,749. Graduates in media, journalism and communications recorded the lowest median at £25,938. The survey also found that 57 percent of graduates were in full-time employment 15 months after finishing, and 87 percent were in work or further study. These are early career figures, and the median will rise as graduates gain experience.

Why Salaries Vary So Much

Four things move a salary more than the degree itself. The first is the country. The same job pays a different amount in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Pakistan, because wages follow the local cost of living and the local labor market. The second is the city. Pay in London, New York, or San Francisco is higher than pay in a smaller city, and so is the rent. The third is the employer. Large companies and hospitals pay more than small firms and charities. The fourth is experience. A graduate with three years of work behind them earns more than a new graduate with the same degree.

None of this means the degree does not matter. It does. The figures on this page show that graduates in these eight fields earn well above the median for all workers. But the degree is the starting point, not the whole story.

Sources

US salary figures: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, median annual wages, May 2024. See the Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. UK graduate figures: Higher Education Statistics Agency, Graduate Outcomes 2023/24 Summary Statistics, published 4 June 2026. See the HESA release at hesa.ac.uk, and past survey results at graduateoutcomes.ac.uk. Figures were checked in November 2026. Newer data may have been published since, so check the sources for the latest numbers before you rely on them.