Each year, the SPSU Career and Counseling Center surveys the university’s graduates to determine the average salaries being earned in each degree field.
The 2011 data were self-reported by 193 employed graduates with bachelor’s degrees (average salary: $51,598) and 51 graduates with master’s degrees (average salary: $58,616).
The most significant jumps in salary between 2010 and 2011 were reported by graduates with:
• bachelor’s degrees in computer science: $55,329 to $77,542;
• master’s degrees in systems engineering: $60,000 to $75,125;
• master’s degrees in accounting: $52,667 to $66,833; and
• master’s degrees in information design/communication: $45,500 to $58,250.
However, looking back reveals that salaries in a few of these fields took a substantial dip in the mid-2000s and are just now climbing back to their former levels.
Here is a sampling of the 2011 average salary of graduates in various fields:
Bachelor’s Degrees
Architecture – $36,571
Business administration – $47,022
Chemistry – $41,000
Construction engineering – $45,500
Construction management –$51,297
Electrical engineering technology – $53,896
Industrial engineering technology – $54,029
Mechatronics engineering – $53,731
Psychology – $50,000
Software engineering – $62,600
Master’s Degrees
Engineering technology - electrical – $62,000
Information technology – $58,296
Business administration – $53,182
Quality assurance – $59,714
To view the data gathered by the center, go to www.spsu.edu/careerservices/salarydata/index.htm