Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
Computer science, engineering, and engineering technology majors had the highest starting salary expectations among Class of 2015 STEM graduates, according to results of NACE’s Class of 2015 Student Survey.
Figure 1 displays each STEM major’s median starting salary expectation, both in general and by their top target industry. (Only major-industry cross-sections with at least 10 respondents were included.)
Already having had the highest expectation of any STEM majors regardless of top target industry, engineering majors targeting the chemical/pharmaceutical manufacturing and motor vehicle manufacturing industries had even higher expectations (both $67,501).
Similarly, computer science majors who targeted the engineering services ($67,084) and miscellaneous professional services consulting ($62,500) industries also had particularly high expectations.
Reflecting the fact that mathematics majors are composed of two groups of students—those who aspire toward “Wall Street” type jobs and those who aspire toward teaching—those targeting the finance, insurance, and real estate industry had rather high expectations ($57,501), while the expectations of those targeting the education industry were far more modest ($40,000).
Also among the lowest expectations were biology, physical science, environmental science, and science technology majors.
Results from Class of 2015 STEM graduates are featured in Students in Demand: An Insight Into Class of 2015 STEM Graduates. Highlights from the report are available on NACEWeb.
Figure 1: Median Starting Salary Expectations, by Top Target Industry
| Top target industry |
Median salary |
Computer
Science |
Overall |
$57,273 |
| Computer/Electronics Manufacturing |
$55,000 |
| Information |
$57,501 |
| Engineering Services |
$67,084 |
| Miscellaneous Professional Services Consulting |
$62,500 |
| Government |
$52,500 |
| Engineering |
Overall |
$61,001 |
| Healthcare |
$55,833 |
| Oil & Gas Extraction |
$65,000 |
| Construction |
$56,786 |
| Chemical/Pharmaceutical Manufacturing |
$67,501 |
| Computer/Electronics Manufacturing |
$63,750 |
| Motor Vehicle Manufacturing |
$67,501 |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing |
$59,039 |
| Engineering Services |
$58,900 |
Engineering
Technology |
Overall |
$56,563 |
| Engineering Services |
$55,000 |
Mathematics/
Statistics |
Overall |
$45,938 |
| Education |
$40,000 |
| Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate |
$57,501 |
| Biology |
Overall |
$32,721 |
| Education |
$32,501 |
| Healthcare |
$32,795 |
| Agriculture |
$32,500 |
| Chemical/Pharmaceutical Manufacturing |
$42,501 |
Physical
Sciences |
Overall |
$40,386 |
| Government |
|
Environmental
Science |
Overall |
$33,750 |
Science
Technology |
Overall |
$45,833 |
Source: Students in Demand: An Insight Into Class of 2015 STEM Graduates, National Association of Colleges and Employers