5 Top Paying Careers with a Bachelor’s Degree

5 of the Highest-Paid Careers with a Bachelor’s Degrees

• Data Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Physical Therapy
• Application Developing
• Business Analyst

Whilst there is certainly no shortage of careers with a bachelor’s degree, some of them are indeed compensated much more competitively than others. For instance, a person majoring in engineering will expect to earn about two to three times more than an English major. So, what are some of the best choices in terms of entry-level pay?

1. Data Science

The median salary for data scientists in the United States, according to Forbes, is anywhere from $95,000 to over $250,000. Of course, the higher the pay, the more educational requirements one can expect. In terms of students who only possess a bachelor’s degree, the starting pay is still incredibly close to six figures. That means that data scientists will make approximately $40,000 more than what the average salary for the entire nation is. The fact that they will do so as soon as they graduate is even more impressive.

2. Electrical Engineering

When looking at any list of top-paying jobs, there will usually be five or more engineering positions. Examples include civil, data, chemical, petroleum, mechanical, aerospace, automobile, and biomedical engineering. While the starting salary for each of those fields is very comparable, electrical engineering tends to be slightly above their average. The reason why goes back to basic economics and the law of supply and demand. Since the pay easily goes above $80,000 for entry-level jobs, it is fair to say that anyone majoring in engineering will be financially secured.

3. Physical Therapy

In terms of medicine-based professions where someone can enter the market with just a bachelor’s degree, there are not a ton of options. After all, most people who want to work in the field of medicine have to pursue Ph.D. degrees and do long specializations. Physical therapy is one of the exceptions to this rule as students can start accumulating experience as soon as they complete a four-year program. Of course, their salary will only be a fraction of the $300,000 starting offers that Ph.D. graduates receive. Still, that fraction will amount to about $70,000 or more and allow them to build a profitable career fast.

4. Application Developing

Just like data scientists, application developers are going to secure enormous pay from the very beginning of their career. The only downside is the fact that the market is quite competitive as the smartphone industry has been active for quite some time. So, while having a bachelor’s degree is great, it may not be enough to qualify for many of the high-end offers in the market. People can also decide to work as freelancers and take on projects on an individual basis. Doing so is a bit riskier and usually only works for folks who already have a book of business.

5. Business Analyst

Contrary to popular belief, business majors do not dominate the list of careers with a bachelor’s degree when ranked by salaries. What they do dominate are lists based on graduate degrees. Since many entrepreneurs will not be willing to pursue graduate studies, however, the bachelor’s degree will pay off the most for business analysts. Their jobs combine knowledge from areas such as finance, accounting, marketing, management, and more. The main objective is to help the company determine what operational changes will help save money and attract more buyers.

Related Resource: 20 Best Affordable Schools in Colorado for Bachelor’s Degree

Some honorable mentions include investment banking, actuarial analysis, and java developing. Those three alternatives are great for people who might already have a degree and want to find a company that will sponsor their further studies. Anyone who is making their initial assessment of the highest-paying careers with a bachelor’s degree, however, should stick to the aforementioned five.