The Economic Value of College Majors Introduction
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THE ECONOMIC VALUE COLLEGE MAJORS Anthony P. Carnevale Ban Cheah Andrew R. Hanson 2015 WHAT’S IT WORTH? THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF COLLEGE INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to express our gratitude to the individuals and organizations that have made this report possible. Thanks to Lumina Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation for their generous support of our research for the past several years. We are honored to be partners in their mission of promoting postsecondary access and completion for all Americans. We are especially grateful for the support of Jamie Merisotis, Holly Zanville, Daniel Greenstein, Jennifer Engle, Elise Miller, Matthew Muench, and Whitney Smith. We would like to thank our designers Janna Matherly and the team from Woodpile; our editor Nancy Lewis; and our printer Westland Printers. Our thanks also go to our colleagues, whose support was vital to our success: w Jeff Strohl provided strong research direction and expertise that contributed to both strategic and editorial decisions. w Andrea Porter provided strategic guidance in the design and production of the report. w Ana Castañon assisted with the design and other logistics of producing the report. Many have contributed their thoughts and feedback throughout the production of this report. That said, all errors, omissions, and views remain the responsibility of authors. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Lumina Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, or the Joyce Foundation, or their officers, or employees. TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 INTRODUCTION 8 PART ONE: SEVEN MAJOR SUPERGROUPS 12 PART TWO: 15 MAJOR GROUPS 20 PART THREE: 137 DETAILED MAJOR SUBGROUPS BY 15 MAJOR GROUPS 21 AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES 29 ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING 37 ARTS 45 BIOLOGY AND LIFE SCIENCES 53 BUSINESS 61 COMMUNICATIONS AND JOURNALISM 67 COMPUTERS, STATISTICS, AND MATHEMATICS 75 EDUCATION 82 HEALTH 91 HUMANITIES AND LIBERAL ARTS 99 INDUSTRIAL ARTS, CONSUMER SERVICES, AND RECREATION 107 LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY 113 PHYSICAL SCIENCES 121 PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK 129 SOCIAL SCIENCES 137 APPENDIX ONE: REFERENCES, DATA SOURCES, AND METHODOLOGY 141 APPENDIX TWO: CLASSIFICATION OF MAJOR GROUPS AND SUBGROUPS 147 APPENDIX THREE: MAJOR SUBGROUPS RANKED BY MEDIAN ANNUAL WAGES 151 APPENDIX FOUR: MAJOR SUBGROUPS RANKED BY PREVALENCE 159 APPENDIX FIVE: MAJOR SUBGROUPS RANKED BY GRADUATE DEGREE ATTAINMENT 165 APPENDIX SIX: MAJOR SUBGROUPS RANKED BY GRADUATE DEGREE WAGE PREMIUM 171 APPENDIX SEVEN: PREVALENCE, WAGES, GRADUATE DEGREE ATTAINMENT, AND GRADUATE DEGREE WAGE PREMIUM BY MAJOR GROUP AND SUBGROUP 180 137 DETAILED MAJORS:SELECTIVE STATISTICS: EARNINGS AT THE 25TH, 50TH AND 75TH PERCENTILES, BY BACHELOR’S DEGREE MAJOR 184 THE GRADUATE ADVANTAGE, EARNINGS AT THE 25TH, 50TH, AND 75TH PERCENTILES BY BACHELOR’S DEGREE MAJOR 200 ALL MAJORS BY GROUP, RANKED BY EARNINGS AND POPULARITY 204 LOWEST- AND HIGHEST-EARNING MAJORS, BACHELOR’S DEGREE HOLDERS 206 LOWEST- AND HIGHEST-EARNING MAJORS, GRADUATE DEGREE HOLDERS 208 MAJORS RANKED BY POPULARITY, BACHELOR’S DEGREE HOLDERS 209 MAJORS RANKED BY POPULARITY, GRADUATE DEGREE HOLDERS 210 HELP READING OUR CHARTS Reprint Permission The Center on Education and the Workforce uses a Creative Commons license, which permits non- commercial re-use of any of our content when proper attribution is provided. 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Should you need a form to be filled out by us, please email [email protected] and we will respond in a timely manner. THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF COLLEGE MAJORS INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION How much is a college major worth? Today, 35 percent of jobs require a Bachelor’s degree or higher.1 On average, these jobs pay $33,000 annually at the entry level and $61,000 at prime age. But averages are deceiving. The economic risks and returns to Bachelor’s degrees vary greatly among different majors. For today’s high school graduates, and an increasing share of middle-aged adults who are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree, the decision about what to major in will have critical economic consequences for the rest of their lives. In some sense, deciding what to major in is more Due to the complex relationships between college important than deciding whether to attend college. and careers, some college graduates who major in Over a lifetime, the average difference between less lucrative fields of study earn more than those a high school and college graduate’s wages is $1 in typically high-paying majors. For example, on million, but the difference between the lowest-and average, education majors have the lowest wages the highest-paying majors is $3.4 million. Over a while engineering majors have the highest wages. career, a Bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering But the top 25 percent of education majors earn more pays $4.8 million, while a Bachelor’s degree in than the bottom 25 percent of engineering majors. early childhood education pays $1.4 million. College graduates’ wages are also influenced by The importance of major is so powerful that whether they work in the for-profit, nonprofit, or Bachelor’s degree holders in some majors earn public sector; the industry they work in; and whether more than many graduate degree holders. For they pursue lifelong learning opportunities and example, on average architecture and engineering employer training that further hone their career- majors earn $83,000 annually over the course of related skills. Usually, working in an occupation their careers, while graduate degree holders who aligned with a college field of study enhances majored in education earn $60,000 annually. earnings, while working outside of one’s field of study reduces earnings, but not always. Engineering At the same time, a college major is not destiny. majors who work as schoolteachers earn less than College provides access to particular occupations and other engineers, and education majors who work career pathways, but college is only the ante in the in business jobs earn more than most educators. lifelong learning game. 1 Carnevale and Smith, Recovery, 2013. 4 THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF COLLEGE MAJORS INTRODUCTION The fact that college majors play such an enormous However, this analysis alone is still incomplete because role in determining college graduates’ wages and one out of every three college graduates goes on to career trajectory has everyone asking: How much is earn a graduate degree. The fact that a college degree a college major worth? In this report, we analyze the is a stepping-stone on the way to a graduate degree wages of college graduates by 15 major groups and is a crucial part of its benefit: graduate degree holders 137 subgroups. To provide a more complete picture earn 28 percent more than Bachelor’s degree holders. of what college graduates are earning in the labor Moreover, some majors are substantially more likely to market, we use the interquartile range of wages, or lead to a graduate degree than others. For this reason, what the middle half of college graduates are likely to we also analyze the likelihood that a major leads to a earn (i.e., the range from the 25th to 75th percentiles). graduate degree and the graduate wage premium–the percentage difference between a college graduate and a graduate degree holder–across majors. Today, 35 percent of jobs require a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Here are the major findings of our analysis: Wages: w Among the 137 major subgroups, petroleum engineering majors are paid the most and early w Among college graduates employed full-time childhood education majors are paid the least. year-round, on average Bachelor’s degree College graduates who majored in petroleum holders earn an annual salary of $61,000 over engineering earn an average annual salary of the course of their careers, while graduate $136,000 over the course of their careers, while degree holders earn $78,000 annually. those who majored in early childhood education w Among the 15 major groups, architecture earn $39,000 annually. and engineering majors are paid the w Business majors’ wages vary the most. Business most and education majors are paid the majors earn $43,000 annually at the 25th percentile least. College graduates who majored in and $98,000 annually at the 75th percentile, a architecture or engineering earn an average difference of $55,000. salary of $83,000 per year, while education majors earn $45,000 per year. w Education majors’ wages vary the least. Education majors earn $35,000 annually at the 25th percentile and $59,000 annually at the 75th percentile, a difference of $24,000. 5 THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF COLLEGE MAJORS INTRODUCTION Prevalence: Graduate degree attainment: w Among the 15 major groups, business is w Among the 15 major groups, biology and the most common major. It accounts for life sciences majors are most likely to earn 26 percent of college-educated workers.