While many students choose a college major based on their personal likes and interests, others choose a major at least in part based on their desired career, or potential for a long-term financial return.
Despite the downside of taking on massive debt to attend college (according to government statistics, more than 71 percent of students graduating from four-year colleges had college debt--with an average debt of $37,172 per student) the unemployment rate for college graduates with a bachelor's degree is about half that of those without a college degree.
Glassdoor just released its list of the highest paying college majors--here are the top 25, along with the median base salary of each:
1. Computer Science: $70,000
2. Electrical Engineering: $68,438
3. Mechanical Engineering: $68,000
4. Chemical Engineering: $65,000
5. Industrial Engineering: $64,381
6. Information Technology: $64,008
7. Civil Engineering: $61,500
8. Statistics: $60,000
9. Nursing: $58,928
10. Management Information Systems: $58,000
11. Finance: $54,900
12. Mathematics: $54,018
13. Biomedical Engineering: $52,814
14. Accounting: $52,000
15. Economics: $52,000
16. Physics: $50,000
17. Biotechnology: $50,000
18. Architecture: $50,000
19. Fashion Design: $50,000
20. Business: $47,850
21. International Relations: $45,880
22. Graphic Design: $45,846
23. Marketing: $45,475
24. English: $45,000
25. Political Science: $45,000
