A bachelor’s degree is becoming increasingly crucial for numerous occupations across a wide range of industries in today’s changing employment environment. So, what kinds of occupations are available to you with a bachelor’s degree?

A bachelor’s degree is usually sufficient to qualify for entry-level and mid-level professions in a range of sectors, including business, finance, social services, psychology, computer science, healthcare, and others. While college tuition is expensive, statistics suggest that the payback might be well worth it when it comes to finding work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median compensation for workers with bachelor’s degrees is $1,305, while the highest-paid bachelor’s degree occupations can pay up to six figures. With a bachelor’s degree, you’ll be able to choose from roughly 174 distinct job routes, according to the BLS, which are expected to rise by 10% from 2016 to 2026, far faster than the overall growth rate of 7%. Perhaps this is why workers with bachelor’s degrees had a lower unemployment rate of 2.7 percent than those with less education. Want to get the most bang for your money with your bachelor’s degree? We used BLS data to find some of the highest-paying bachelor’s degree positions.
These careers, which range from engineering and computer employment to HR, advertising, and marketing management positions, allow you to make a lot of money. Your pay will be determined by a number of factors, including your amount of experience, specialty, and place of employment. Construction engineering manager salaries in Rochester, New York, are 13% higher than the national median; brand manager salaries in Lincoln, Nebraska, are 2% lower than the national median; and chemical engineer salaries in Seattle are 4% lower than the national median.

Take a look at the whole list below and include your college experience on your resume.

When it comes to starting or changing employment, having a bachelor’s degree is becoming increasingly vital. As a result, bachelor’s degrees are more widely available than they have ever been. According to the US Census Bureau, the percentage of adults aged 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree increased from 29.9% to 36% between 2010 and 2019. A bachelor’s degree is valuable for reasons other than its popularity or demand among employers. Over the course of their careers, bachelor’s degree holders may expect to make more money and have better job stability than individuals without a four-year degree. “A bachelor’s degree makes you more marketable, and marketability translates to compensation”. “Having a degree increases the validity of what you know and what you offer to the table.”

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, bachelor’s degree holders earned more than workers without a four-year degree in 2020, bringing home a median weekly salary of $1,305 compared to $938 for associate degree holders and $781 for workers with a high school certificate (BLS). Unemployment rates are also lower among bachelor’s degree holders. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, bachelor’s degree holders had a 5.5 percent unemployment rate in 2020, compared to 7.1 percent for associate degree holders and 9.0 percent for employees with a high school diploma. There is no straightforward answer to the question of which bachelor’s degrees pay the highest. With a bachelor’s degree, your specific salary and career prospects will be determined by the degree program you choose and the job path you take after graduation.

What You’d Do: Computer and information systems managers, often known as IT managers or IT project managers, plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in a business. Installing, maintaining, and upgrading computer gear and software, as well as guaranteeing the security of an organization’s network, are among their primary responsibilities.

What You’ll Require: A bachelor’s degree in computer science or information science is enough, but a graduate degree cannot help you get that management job.

What You’d Make If You Were in Charge: Annual Salary: $146,360

What You’d Do: Lead research and development initiatives to create new goods, methods, or designs as an architect or engineer.

What You’ll Require: A bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering will get you in the door, but to become a manager, you’ll need a lot of work experience.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $144,830

What You’d Do: Managers in these disciplines design marketing plans, plan promotional and advertising campaigns, review website layouts and initiate and analyze market research studies to build interest in products, services, or even entire businesses.

What You’ll Require: The majority of managers have a bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, business, communications, or journalism. Completing an internship while in school can aid in the job search after graduation. Before moving into management, most graduates work as sales representatives, buyers or purchasing agents, or public relations professionals.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $135,900

What You’d Do: If you’re looking for the highest-paying bachelor’s degree employment, we’re guessing you enjoy a good salary. (After all, who doesn’t?) The folks in charge of compensation and benefits are the ones who make it all happen. They are responsible for creating a company’s pay and benefits structure, researching competitive wage rates, ensuring that pay and benefits conform with federal and state standards, producing program budgets, and disseminating pay and benefits information to employees.

What You’ll Require: A bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, and management, or finance will get you into the door, but you’ll need at least five years of experience to become a manager. Although certification is not legally required to do the work, it can help you stand out to employers.

What you’d earn in a year: $122,270

What You’d Do: You’d fly and navigate airplanes, helicopters, and other aircraft as an airline or commercial pilot.

What You’ll Require: Most airline pilots begin their careers as commercial pilots to gather experience, and all that is required to get started is a high school education or equivalent and a commercial pilot’s license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree and the FAA-issued Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license to become an airline pilot.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $121,430

What You’d Do: As a computer hardware engineer, you’d research, design, build, and test computer systems and components such as processors, circuit boards, memory devices, networks, and routers.

What You’ll Require: While a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering is the most prevalent, a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or computer science is also commonly accepted.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $117,220

What You’d Be Doing: Aerospace engineers spend their days designing planes, spaceships, satellites, and missiles, as well as building and testing prototypes to ensure that they work properly.

What You’ll Require: To secure a career, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $116,500

What You’d Do: Computer network architects design and construct data communication networks such as intranets, wide area networks, and local area networks.

What You’ll Require: A bachelor’s degree in computer science is required.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $112,690

Chemical engineers tackle issues and create processes and equipment involving chemicals, fuel, pharmaceuticals, and food by utilizing the concepts of chemistry, biology, physics, and math. You’ll also need to finish an internship or engineering co-op in addition to a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Oh, and don’t forget to double-check that your resume contains all of the necessary elements.

What You’d Earn in a Year: $108,770

What You’d Do If You Were in This Situation: An actuary’s role in the insurance sector is to assist businesses and clients in developing policies that reduce the cost of risk. They do it by studying the financial consequences of risk and uncertainty and assessing prospective risk utilizing mathematics, statistics, and financial theory.

What You’ll Require: Actuaries often have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, actuarial science, statistics, or another analytical subject. In addition, you’ll have to pass a series of certification tests.

What You’d Make If You Were in Charge: $108,350

You may prepare for a range of occupations in law enforcement, corrections, security, and more with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Police Officer: You might work for a town, municipal, or state law enforcement department, responding to emergency calls, patrolling assigned areas, and gathering and safeguarding evidence from crime scenes as a police officer with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Police officers earned median pay of $67,290 in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2020 and 2030, police officer jobs are expected to expand by 7%. It’s worth noting that law enforcement jobs may demand additional training and qualifications.

Probation Officer: Working as a probation officer allows you to give social assistance to law offenders who are in custody, on probation, or on parole. Probation officers made a median salary of $55,690 in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2020 and 2030, jobs for probation officers are expected to expand by 4%.

A bachelor’s degree can provide you with the crucial employment skills you need to launch your career, whether you want to be a writer or use your communication talents to work in public relations.

History Jobs with a Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree in history can prepare you for a career in education, research, or a variety of other fields by teaching you critical thinking and analyzing abilities.

High School Teacher: As a high school teacher, you could prepare and teach history classes, as well as provide crucial analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that students will need to acquire a college diploma or work in the workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, high school teachers will make a median salary of $62,870 in 2020. From 2020 to 2030, high school teacher jobs are expected to expand by 8%. A state-issued qualification or license is required for public school teachers.

Museum Technician: Museum technicians are responsible for caring for and protecting museum collections, as well as preparing things for exhibition or storage, producing exhibits, and monitoring the collection’s record-keeping. Museum technicians made a median salary of $52,140 in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Museum technician jobs are expected to expand by 19 percent by 2030.

A bachelor’s degree in communications can prepare you to communicate with a wide range of people and launch a career in writing, journalism, public relations, and other fields.

Public Relations Specialists: As a public relations specialist, you can help an organization generate and maintain a positive public image by preparing press releases and raising awareness of the group’s work. Public relations experts made a median salary of $62,810 in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2020 and 2030, jobs for public relations specialists are expected to expand by 11%.

Technical Writer: As a technical writer, you’d be responsible for creating instruction manuals, how-to guides, and other writing that communicates complicated and technical information. Technical writers made a median pay of $74,650 in 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2020 and 2030, technical writing jobs are expected to expand by 12%.

It might be challenging to find the correct bachelor’s degree program and job path when there are so many to choose from. When deciding which bachelor’s degree program will be most useful, many students consider their work prospects and prospective compensation. While picking a degree that will help you develop a strong career is vital, earning potential isn’t always the most significant element to consider when selecting a bachelor’s degree program. Instead, students should consider what kind of job they want and then pick a bachelor’s degree that would help them acquire it.