Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Their First Real Salaries

Salaries for new college graduates continue to climb, with a few fields gaining 7 to 10 percent compared with last spring, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports. Salaries are rising for students majoring in 26 of 29 fields as demand grows.

"There are just overall a larger number of increases," said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager for the association. It compiles salary data from surveys at university career centers and from employers that recruit students.

The highest-paying profession for a new graduate is chemical engineer, averaging $59,707, up 5.6 percent from last year. Young software-design and -development types were also among the highest-paid, making as much as $54,624, though that's up only a little from 2006.

Starting salaries for business school grads rose in nearly every category, with administration/management grads' rising 7.5 percent, to $44,048.

Yet not every grad is a winner. The lowest-paid members of the class of 2007 will go into social work, where salaries are half those of some hot engineering or business careers. Social workers average $26,828, down 1.2 percent.

-- Vickie Elmer