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How Much Could You Earn With Your Degree?

By Laura Bridgestock

Updated April 17, 2021 Updated April 17, 2021

Download our guide to securing a high-paying graduate job

Being a student often means having to get by without much money, completely reliant on the next instalment of a grant or loan to come in (or mum and dad to send you some cash). Things won’t always be this desperate though. One day, you’ll be earning money. If you’re lucky, you might even be earning lots of money.

Start fantasizing about what you’ll spend your first month’s wages on by looking at this list of the average salaries for different jobs and careers. Figures are based on national data for the US and UK.

Accounting & finance

Average accounting & finance salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Brokers	£41,116
Actuaries	£56,564
Economists	£36,804
Statistician	£31,233
Finance and investment analysts and advisers	£34,311
Accounting technician	£20,456
Insurance underwriters	£26,896
Financial accounts managers	£26,950
Chartered accountants	£35,126
Finance officers	£22,893

Average accounting & finance salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Actuaries	$102,880
Accountants and auditors	$70,500
Personal financial advisors	$88,890
Financial analysts	$85,660
Financial examiners	$80,180
Budget analysts	$76,220
Insurance underwriters	$69,380
Loan officers	$63,040
Cost estimators	$64,040
Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents	$54,440

Architecture

Average architecture salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Architects (not landscape or naval)	£32,887
Landscape architects	£25,531
Naval architects	£38,472
Architectural technologists	£24,329
Architectural designers	£27,006

Average architecture salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Architectural and engineering managers	$140,760
Architects	$79,380
Drafters	$55,550

Art & design

Average art & design salaries in the UK (data from PayScale unless otherwise stated)
Graphic designers	£22,039
Artists (data from Glass Door)	£26,433
Archivists	£26,433
Musicians	£27,014

Average art & design salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Producers and directors	$71,680
Multimedia artists and animators	$72,520
All art and design occupations	$46,660
Archivists, curators and museum technicians	$48,400
Graphic designers	$50,370

Business & management

Average business & management salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Chief executives and senior officials	£89,073
Marketing directors	£64,948
Financial managers	£40,049
Human resource managers	£35,607
Purchasing managers	£33,788
Business development managers	£33,126
Project management director	£72,684
Management consultants	£47,975
Business analysts	£35,341
Senior sales executives	£24,808
Sales administrators	£18,372

Average business & management salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Management analysts	$83,610
Logisticians	$74,600
Budget analysts	$76,220
Operations research analysts	$83,390
Market research analysts	$63,120
Human resources specialists	$60,880
Training and development specialists	$60,870

Computer science & information technology

Average computer science & IT salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Information technology directors	£78,189
IT specialist	£35,766
IT project managers	£41,545
IT business analysts	£35,341
Telecommunications specialist	£26,351
Programmers	£30,326
Software development managers	£54,347
Telecommunications engineers	£26,351

Average computer science & IT salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Computer and information research scientists	$118,370
Software developers	$105,590
Information security analysts	$98,350
Computer systems analysts	$88,740
Computer network architects	$109,020
Computer programmers	$84,280
Web developers	$69,430
Computer support specialists	$53,470

Engineering

Average engineering salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Aircraft engineers	£34,356
Design engineering manager	£50,375
Production managers in manufacturing	£34,965
Electrical engineers	£31,308
Mechanical engineers	£30,630
Electronics engineers	£29,287
Product development engineers	£30,003
Civil engineers	£31,046
Mining engineers	£40,695
Quality control engineers	£27,519
Engineering technicians	£23,093

Average engineering salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Computer hardware engineers	$114,600
Aerospace engineers	$115,220
Chemical engineers	$104,910
Electronics engineers (except computer)	$99,070
Mining and geological engineers	$92,250
Nuclear engineers	$107,600
Petroleum engineers	$137,170
Marine engineers and naval architects	$92,560
Biomedical engineers	$88,550
Materials engineers	$92,390
Mechanical engineers	$87,370
Civil engineers	$86,640
Environmental engineers	$87,620
Industrial engineers	$87,040
Agricultural engineers	$77,110
Drafters	$55,550

Law

Average legal salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Attorney/lawyer	£45,920
Solicitors	£35,876
Barristers	£50,987
Law firm partner	£72,138

Average legal salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Lawyers	$120,910
Judges and hearing officers	$117,190
Arbitrators, mediators and conciliators	$62,270
Court reporters	$57,150
Paralegals and legal assistants	$50,940

Media & communications

Average media & communications salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Public relations directors	£71,483
Advertising accounts managers	£26,423
Creative directors	£48,930
Journalists	£23,552
Public relations managers	£32,648
Author/writer	£36,100

Average media & communications salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Writers and editors	$62,170
Public relations specialists	$60,000
News analysts, reporters and correspondents	$43,490
Broadcast and sound engineering technicians	$43,660
Announcers	$31,990

Medicine & life sciences

Average medical & life sciences salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
General Practice Doctors	£50,731
Midwifes	£27,010
Dentists	£49,949
Biochemists	£30,167
Veterinarians	£31,091
Pharmacists	£34,910
Paramedics	£25,553
Psychologists	£31,341

Average medical & life sciences salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Physicians and surgeons	$208,000
Dentists	$156,240
Veterinarians	$93,830
Medical scientists	$84,810
Biological technicians	$44,500
Psychologists	$79,010
Conservation scientists and foresters	$61,340

Natural sciences

Average natural sciences salaries in the UK (data from PayScale)
Research scientists	£30,966
Research chemists	£29,062
Environmental scientists	£26,592
Geoscientists (but not hydrologists or geographers)	£32,712

Average natural sciences salaries in the US (data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018)
Biological Technicians	$44,500
Environmental scientists	$71,130
Chemists and materials scientists	$78,330
Geoscientists	$91,130

This article was originally published in March 2015. It was last updated in June 2019.

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Download our guide to securing a high-paying graduate job

This article was originally published in June 2019 . It was last updated in April 2021

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Written by

Laura Bridgestock

The former editor of TopUniversities.com, Laura oversaw the site's editorial content and student forums. She also edited the QS Top Grad School Guide and contributed to market research reports, including 'How Do Students Use Rankings?'

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