Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Computer Science Projects Top Starting Salary for Master's Degree Grads

  • 03/17/15

BETHLEHEM, PA — Computer science majors have the highest average starting salary projection among master’s degree graduates from the college Class of 2015, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s January 2015 Salary Survey found that projected starting salaries for Class of 2015 master’s degree graduates in computer science average $71,140. (See Figure 1.)

The salaries of engineering and business majors follow just behind. The average starting salary for Class of 2015 graduates earning master’s degrees in engineering is projected to be $69,698, while business majors earning master’s degrees can anticipate earning salaries that average $67,890.

Math and sciences majors are expected to earn the next highest salary — $64,465.

The remainder of the master’s degree broad categories have salary projections that exceed $50,000.

Figure 1: Projected Average Salaries by Discipline for 2015 Master's Degree Graduates

Discipline 2015 Projected Average Salary
Computer Science $71,140
Engineering $69,698
Business $67,890
Math & Sciences $64,465
Communications $59,130
Healthcare $58,500
Social Sciences $54,816
Humanities $53,692
Agriculture & Natural Resources $51,417
Source: January 2015 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers.
All data are for master's degree graduates.

About Salary Survey
Salary Survey reports starting salaries for new college graduates. The data contained in NACE’s January 2015 Salary Survey report were provided by NACE employer members, who reported their projected salaries for their anticipated new hires from the Class of 2015. Data in the January issue include projected starting salaries for nearly 60 majors at the bachelor’s degree level, 44 majors at the master’s degree level, and 14 disciplines at the doctoral degree level. Data are reported by major, industry and region. The January 2015 Salary Survey was conducted from August 11, 2014, through November 24, 2014. A total of 316 surveys were returned for a 30.4 percent response rate. An executive summary of the January 2015 Salary Survey report — the first salary report for the Class of 2015 — is available at www.naceweb.org/salary-resources/salary-survey.aspx.

About NACE
Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of information about the employment of college graduates. For more information, visit http://www.naceweb.org.

Featured

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.