College Majors and Earnings

College majors and earnings is a big issue:

What do you think? What are you telling young students?

The latest piece of evidence to become part of that debate is a report released Tuesday by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Its seductive title: “What’s it Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors.”

The good news? “While there is a lot of variation in earnings over a lifetime,” the center said in a press release, “the authors find that all undergraduate majors are ‘worth it,’ even taking into account the cost of college and lost earnings.”

And yet, for those applicants to college seeking the most bang for their buck — at least as defined as maximizing their lifetime earnings — the authors used census data to conclude that the top majors as ranked by highest median earnings included petroleum engineer ($120,000), pharmacy/pharmaceutical sciences ($105,000) and mathematics and computer sciences ($98,000). The lowest? Counseling/psychology ($29,000), early childhood education ($36,000) and theology/religious vocations ($38,000.)

Which major makes the most?