Wondering what your life might look like once you’ve secured your degree? If you’re looking for the best career paths to make a lot of money, these are the best paying degrees in 2022 to set you on the right track.
1. Economics
Average salary for graduates – £36,178
Economics is the degree to choose if you’re looking for the highest paying job. This is no surprise, as economics is a difficult subject area. With an economics degree, you’ll prove to employers that you can handle money and statistics, problem solving, business strategy, and marketing. Most economics students become economists. To become an economist, you’ll usually need a post-graduate degree, such as a masters or a Ph.D. It’s definitely an expensive career choice, but you’ll come out of the other end successful.
2. Business
Average salary for graduates – £33,407
Business is a hugely popular career choice, considering how businesses are popping up everywhere you look. If you’re good at communication, organisation, and planning projects, business is perfect for you. You’ll learn about budgeting and accounting, things that you can use in your personal life as well as your professional career. Project manager roles are the most popular careers for business graduates.
3. Medicine
Average salary for graduates – £33,023
You may be surprised that this isn’t number one. It’s commonly believed that doctors and surgeons are the highest paid careers, and while they are very well paid, the training that goes into these roles lasts for years. It’s more common to find a job as a GP. This job is highly stressful, but also highly rewarding considering you’ll be helping lots of people.
4. Physics
Average salary for graduates – £32,335
Physics is perfect for you if you want to discover more about the world around you and how everything works. It’s also incredibly challenging, so you’ll never have a boring day. Most physics graduates go on to become software developers, a job that’s equally creative and technical. You’ll be the genius behind computer programmes, earning a fantastic wage.
5. Engineering
Average salary for graduates – £32,322
Engineering is a fantastic course for learning transferable skills across a number of professions. It’s a degree that sets you up for a successful career, as you’ll learn valuable problem-solving skills. A lot of engineering students go on to become – you guessed it – engineers. You’ll be an innovator, usually with a hands-on job that will keep you entertained and active. It’s also a career path that creates plenty of CEOs, as its desirable to businesses.
6. Geography
Average salary for graduates – £32,162
Contrary to popular belief, geography isn’t just about staring at a globe and learning where each country is. It includes studying how humans interact with the world around them, learning how to solve global problems, and studying the climate and sustainability. It’s a varied degree, and because of that, it’s extremely popular. Analyst roles are the most common jobs for geography graduates.
7. Mechanical Engineering
Average salary for graduates – £32,148
Mechanical engineering focuses on solving global problems and paving the way for a better, more efficient future. Since this career is so future-focused, you’ll almost always be in demand. You can expect exciting, varied work in whatever career you choose, along with a good pay. Most mechanical engineering students go on to become an engineer.
8. Marine Biology
Average salary for graduates – £31,329
Marine biology is a very popular subject at the moment. You’ll use biology to study aquatic life, which is especially important in the current age of the Antropocene. The ocean is filled with plastic waste, and helping marine life become healthier is absolutely vital to the planet. If you study marine biology, you can expect to become a research associate.
9. French
Average salary for graduates – £31,311
Languages are fantastic subjects to develop your communication skills. They’re desirable to employers because they demonstrate that you’ll be able to communicate with a wider variety of people. If you study French, you’ll not only be developing your language and linguistic skills, you’ll also be learning about French art and culture. French graduates often go on to become project managers due to the fantastic communication skills that they develop over their degree.
10. Pharmaceutical Sciences
Average salary for graduates – £31,109
Like medicine, pharmaceutical sciences is perfect for you if you want to make a career out of helping people on a daily basis. You’ll be developing and analysing life-saving medicines, mixing biology and chemistry skills. If you enjoyed studying sciences at school, this is the perfect degree choice for you. It’s common for pharmaceutical sciences students to become pharmacists at the end of their degree.
Of course, money isn’t the most important factor when choosing a career. You may even be happier in a job that pays less. It’s important that you choose a degree that you really want to do. If you’re wondering when you should start applying for graduate jobs, check out our helpful guide.
Last Updated on December 19, 2024
Published on September 29, 2022
