5 Best College Majors for Your Career

What you study can have a big impact on pay and employment prospects.

A typical worker with a bachelor's degree earns two-thirds more than someone with just a high school diploma. But not all college degrees are created equal. What you study matters, too.

We analyzed data for 126 popular college majors to determine which majors typically come with the best hiring prospects and pay, both now and in the future. Here are the top 5 majors for a lucrative career.

1. Nursing

Starting salary: $58,200 (median for all majors: $43,250)

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Mid-career salary: $76,300 (median for all majors: $74,700)

Annual online job postings: 1.9 million

Related job: Registered Nurse

Projected 10-year job growth: 17.2% (all occupations: 8.6%)

2. Biomedical Engineering

Starting salary: $62,900

Mid-career salary: $103,500

Annual online job postings: 51,070

Related job: Biomedical Engineer

Projected 10-year job growth: 23.2%

3. Civil Engineering

Starting salary: $57,700

Mid-career salary: $98,500

Annual online job postings: 201,886

Related job: Civil Engineer

Projected 10-year job growth: 10.5%

4. Mechanical Engineering

Starting salary: $64,000

Mid-career salary: $106,800

Annual online job postings: 241,345

Related job: Mechanical Engineer

Projected 10-year job growth: 9.4%

5. Computer Science

Starting salary: $65,900

Mid-career salary: $110,100

Annual online job postings: 2.0 million

Related job: Software Developer

Projected 10-year job growth: 21.6%

See more of the best college majors for your career.

Stacy Rapacon
Online Editor, Kiplinger.com

Rapacon joined Kiplinger in October 2007 as a reporter with Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and became an online editor for Kiplinger.com in June 2010. She previously served as editor of the "Starting Out" column, focusing on personal finance advice for people in their twenties and thirties.

Before joining Kiplinger, Rapacon worked as a senior research associate at b2b publishing house Judy Diamond Associates. She holds a B.A. degree in English from the George Washington University.