Students choose higher education for many reasons including expanding career prospects, skills and increasing earning potential. So it is unsurprising that college graduates who hold a bachelor’s degree earn on average 66% more per week ($1,493) than people holding just high school diplomas ($899). That said, what are the college degrees most likely to make you rich?

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It is no secret that your earning potential differs based on your educational choices, so with this in mind, the education experts at Legacy Online School analyzed graduate outcome data to determine the states with the highest-earning graduates and the most lucrative degree subjects.

Key insights:

  • New Jersey has the highest-earning graduates, earning $80,114 per annum
  • Mississippi has the lowest-paid graduates ($52,266)
  • Massachusetts is the most educated state (46.1%)
  • Computer & information science graduates earn the most at $91,411 per year
  • The lowest-paid subject is theology ($38,710)

The degrees with the highest earning potential 

hrough analysis of graduate outcomes from the class of 2023, the most popular degree discipline is business with 107,123 graduates, meanwhile, the lowest subscribed discipline was Military Science with 14 graduates. 

The graduates who earn the most money are those who studied computer and information science, a course that sets up students with in-demand skills from high-paying employers, offering an average of $91,411 per year, much higher than the average $63,721 for the class of 2023. Just over two-thirds of the subject’s graduates are currently employed (69.3%) more than the US graduate average sitting at 62.1%.

Maintenance and repair programs earn the second most at $90,162, just 59 graduates from the class of 2023 studied this degree discipline, the third smallest group from the class of 2023, suggesting the subject is a lucrative avenue prospective students may want to explore for high earning potential. 

Engineering sits in third place with $80,085 earnings on average per year for graduates. Although the subject is high-earning, the competition is fierce with 49,825 students studying the subject in the class of 2023 and 68.1% of graduates currently employed. 

The lowest-earning subject from the analysis is theology, the study of religion. This subject was taken by 437 students and offers just a $38,710 salary yearly. The employment rate is also on the lower side with 59.1% of the class of 2023 employed. 

Following on from theology with the lowest graduate earners are parks & recreation ($42,117), education ($43,570), and psychology ($44,084).