It might not take a rocket scientist to guess which college majors lead to the highest paying jobs, but being one would put one near the top of the salary pyramid. That's because the so-called STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) dominate the 30 highest paying jobs. So parents would do well to make sure the kids pay attention in all those math and science classes.

If the humanities are more an individual's speed, philosophy majors have the highest earning potential after 10 years of experience.

The rankings below are based on data collected by PayScale.com from 1,000 universities and include graduates with bachelor's degrees in 207 disciplines. The universities surveyed include 86% of U.S. schools with an enrollment of more than 5,000 and 56% of schools with enrollment of more than 1,000.

Take a look at the 30 best paying college majors for 2015, ranked by starting salary:

30. Applied Mathematics

Starting Salary: $54,300

Mid-Career Salary: $96,500 (21st)

29. Supply Chain Management

Starting Salary: $54,800

Mid-Career Salary: $83,600 (51st)

28. Statistics

Starting Salary: $54,900

Mid-Career Salary: $103,100 (14th)

27. Civil Engineering

Salary: $55,100

Mid-Career Salary: $93,400 (24th)

26. Civil & Environmental Engineering

Starting Salary: $55,900

Mid-Career Salary: $91,800 (27th)

25. Management Information Systems

Starting Salary: $56,300

Mid-Career Salary: $95,500 (22nd)

24. Mechanical Engineering Technology

Starting Salary: $56,600

Mid-Career Salary: $85,400 (44th, tie)

23. (tie) Business & Information Technology

Starting Salary: $56,900

Mid-Career Salary: $99,100 (18th)

23. (tie) Nursing

Starting Salary: $56,900

Mid-Career Salary: $73,600 (89th)

21. Architectural Engineering

Starting Salary: $57,000

Mid-Career Salary: $90,400 (28th, tie)

20. Physics

Starting Salary: $57,200

Mid-Career Salary: $105,100 (11th, tie)

19. Electrical Engineering Technology

Starting Salary: $58,900

Mid-Career Salary: $88,200 (39th)

18. Biomedical Engineering

Starting Salary: $59,600

Mid-Career Salary: $92,200 (32nd, tie)

17. Business Information Systems

Starting Salary: $59,800

Mid-Career Salary: $85,100 (32nd, tie)

16. Actuarial Mathematics

Starting Salary: $60,800

Mid-Career Salary: $119,600 (2nd)

15. Computer Science

Starting Salary: $61,600

Mid-Career Salary: $103,600 (13th)

14. Software Engineering

Starting Salary: $61,700

Mid-Career Salary: $99,800 (17th)

13. Industrial Engineering

Starting Salary: $61,900

Mid-Career Salary: $97,200 (20th)

12. Mechanical Engineering

Starting Salary: $62,100

Mid-Career Salary: $101,600 (15th)

11. Computer Science & Mathematics

Starting Salary: $63,200

Mid-Career Salary: $101,400 (16th)

10. Materials Science & Engineering

Starting Salary: $64,000

Mid-Career Salary: $105,100 (11th)

9. Electronics & Communications Engineering

Starting Salary: $64,100

Mid-Career Salary: $113,200 (5th)

8. Aerospace Engineering

Starting Salary: $64,700

Mid-Career Salary: $107,900 (9th, tie)

7. Electrical Engineering

Starting Salary: $65,900

Mid-Career Salary: $107,900 (9th, tie)

6. Electrical & Computer Engineering

Starting Salary: $66,500

Mid-Career Salary: $113,000 (6th)

5. Computer Science & Engineering

Starting Salary: $66,700

Mid-Career Salary: $112,600 (6th, tie)

4. Nuclear Engineering

Starting Salary: $67,000

Mid-Career Salary: $118,800 (3rd)

3. Computer Engineering

Starting Salary: $67,300

Mid-Career Salary: $108,600 (8th)

2. Chemical Engineering

Starting Salary: $69,600

Mid-Career Salary: $116,700 (4th)

1. Petroleum Engineering

Starting Salary: $102,300

Mid-Career Salary: $176,300 (1st)

Instant Insights /

30 Highest Paying College Majors

Related Stories

Recommended For You