With the collective student debt of America reaching well over the trillion-dollar mark, more and more undergraduates are seeking 4-year degrees that can get them the most money from relevant jobs.
If you are such a student, you have come to the right place.
Today, we will discuss which 4-year degrees will get you the most money in America. It will help you choose a lucrative undergraduate degree so you do not become a student debt statistic like most.
Which 4-Year Degrees Will Get You the Most Money in America
Here are the most profitable 4-year degrees for American students from different academic backgrounds.
• Petroleum Engineering
Undergraduates in America, seeking the highest paying 4-year degrees may not need to look any further than petroleum engineering. The barrier to entry into the field requires only a 4-year bachelor’s degree and some early positions may require minimal work experience.
The job may seem overwhelming but this is far from the truth. You start your career working with other petroleum engineers on extraction methods for oil and gas. There are many types of petroleum engineers and your job will vary depending on your designation.
The sub-categories include petroleum engineers in production, drilling, reservoir, and more. The average starting salaries are around 130,000 dollars and reach around 180,000 dollars as you gain a decade of experience. This makes petroleum engineering the overall, highest-paying 4-year degree in America.
• Applied Economics and Management
If you are a business student and want to know which 4-year degrees will get you the most money in America, the answer is Applied Economics and Management. You learn management theory, microeconomics, and macroeconomics to find career opportunities as auditors, marketing specialists, business analysts, and more.
These are some of the highest-paying jobs in the business field. The entry-level salaries are low, averaging at around 80,000 dollars. However, progression is fairly fast and you can almost double your salary with a decade of experience to around 140,000 dollars.
• Pharmacy
For undergraduate students interested in the healthcare industry a 4-year pharmacy degree is perhaps the most promising in terms of profitability. Becoming a licensed pharmacist requires a lengthier study period for an advanced degree.
However, 4-year pharmacy graduates have plenty of relevant career opportunities in the highly lucrative pharmaceutical industry. They can opt to become pharmaceutical consultants, technicians, or sales representatives.
Demand for pharmaceutical graduates is on the rise and unlike most careers, job security is not a big issue. Starting salaries average around 90,000 dollars and grow to about 135,000 with just a decade of experience.
Conclusion
These are just some of the highest-paying 4-year degrees that cover the academic fields of engineering, business, and medicine. There are plenty more for other fields which we can discuss another time. For now, if you belong to these fields, the mentioned degrees are your best option to make money in America and avoid crippling student debt.
