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Management sciences and quantitative methods (actuarial science) majors are expected to receive the highest average starting salary among Class of 2015 bachelor's degree business majors, according to results of NACE's Fall 2015 Salary Survey.
Meanwhile, management information systems majors are projected to be the top business earners at the master's level.
Among the bachelor's graduates, management sciences and quantitative methods majors are projected to earn starting salaries that average $63,555. (See Figure 1.) Real estate ($63,099), management information systems ($54,467), and business/managerial economics ($54,415) majors also are expected to receive top average salaries among business majors at the bachelor's level.
At the master's degree level, management information systems ($70,189) majors are expected to earn an average exceeding $70,000. (See Figure 2.) Other top earners are projected to be marketing ($66,563) and finance and financial management services ($60,881) majors.
Data from the Fall 2015 report represent early data provided by institutions taking part in the Class of 2015 First-Destination Survey. The Fall 2015 Salary Survey is available to members in MyNACE. An executive summary report is available at www.naceweb.org/salary-resources/salary-survey.aspx.
Final starting salary data for the Class of 2015 will be available in the Spring 2016 Salary Survey.
Salary projections for the Class of 2016 will be available in the Winter 2016 Salary Survey.
Figure 1: Top-paid business majors at the bachelor's degree level
| Major |
Average Starting Salary |
| Management sciences and quantitative methods (actuarial science) |
$63,555 |
| Real estate |
$63,099 |
| Management information systems and services |
$54,467 |
| Business/managerial economics |
$54,415 |
| Construction management |
$54,212 |
| Finance and financial management services |
$53,143 |
| Accounting |
$51,310 |
Source: Fall 2015 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Figure 2: Top-paid business majors at the master's degree level
| Major |
Average Starting Salary |
| Management information systems and services |
$70,189 |
| Marketing |
$66,563 |
| Finance and financial management services |
$60,881 |
| Human resources management and services |
$59,201 |
| Business administration, management, and operations |
$58,084 |
| Accounting |
$56,377 |
Source: Fall 2015 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers