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Getting a college degree is considered an essential stepping stone to landing a well-paying job.

But tertiary education isn’t cheap – most students find it necessary to secure loans in order to pay off their tuition fees and other costs.

When choosing a major to pursue, many students will then try to find a balance between one that they’ll enjoy learning, and one that will lead to a job with decent wages.

If getting a high-salary job is important to you, then you may want to check out Glassdoor’s latest report on the best college majors to make that happen.

The hiring and job review website analysed hundreds of thousands of resumes and corresponding salary reports in its database to determine which are the top 50 majors that sees graduates earning the most during the first five years out of college.

Top of the list is computer science – graduates can earn a median base salary of up to US$70,000 in their first five years working.

For each major, Glassdoor also identified three of the most popular entry-level jobs that fresh graduates take up upon entering the job market.

If you’re hoping to become a software engineer, systems engineer, or web developer, then computer science is definitely the major for you.

“If college students want to land a high-paying job after graduation, they should strongly consider majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM),” advised Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist.

“STEM majors are in demand by the technology and health industries, which offer higher-paying jobs that are better protected from competition or automation,” he added.

In second place on the list is electrical engineering, with a median base salary of US$68,438, while mechanical engineering is the third highest-paying salary at US$68,000, followed by chemical engineering at US$65,000. Rounding out the top five is industrial engineering with a median base salary of US$64,381.

While STEM majors tend to lead to the highest-paying jobs, if that’s not your cup of tea, it’s good to note that other majors can also pay you generously.

For example, a nursing degree (#9 on the list) could get you a job as a registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, or case manager, which could have you making nearly US$59,000 for your base annual salary.

Here are Glassdoor’s top 20 highest-paying college majors:

  1. Computer Science
  1. Electrical Engineering
  1. Mechanical Engineering
  1. Chemical Engineering
  1. Industrial Engineering
  1. Information Technology
  1. Civil Engineering
  1. Statistics
  1. Nursing
  1. Management Information Systems
  1. Finance
  1. Mathematics
  1. Biomedical Engineering
  1. Accounting
  1. Economics
  1. Physics
  1. Biotechnology
  1. Architecture
  1. Fashion Design
  1. Business

For the full list of the 50 highest-paying college majors, check out Glassdoor.com.

Image via Pexels

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