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Transportation and materials moving majors earned the highest average starting salary by far among Class of 2019 associate degree graduates, according to results of NACE’s Summer 2020 Salary Survey.
NACE’s Summer 2020 Salary Survey provides actual starting salaries for the college Class of 2019 and serves as the final salary report for this class.
Among Class of 2019 associate-degree majors with at least 45 responses, graduates in transportation and materials moving earned the highest average starting salary ($72,314). (See Figure 1.)
The average salary for graduates earning an associate degree in mechanic and repair technologies ($53,643) exceeded $50,000, and was followed by computer and information sciences ($47,727); engineering technologies ($46,443); and homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting ($43,972) majors.
Data were gathered from Class of 2019 graduates through December 31, 2019, and reported to NACE through June 30, 2020. The salary data presented here were reported to NACE through its national Class of 2019 First-Destination Survey by approximately 356 colleges and universities nationwide and represent data for almost 729,756 graduates at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree levels. The Summer 2020 Salary Survey report is available in MyNACE.
Figure 1: Starting salaries by discipline for Class of 2019 associate degree graduates
| Broad Category |
Average Salary |
| Transportation and materials moving |
$72,314 |
| Mechanic and repair technologies |
$53,643 |
| Computer and information sciences |
$47,727 |
| Engineering technologies |
$46,443 |
| Homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting |
$43,972 |
Source: Summer 2020 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers