2026-07-06 19:34:35 Report: STEM degrees among the ‘most valuable’ for graduates – NEW WTOP Skip to main content

Report: STEM degrees among the ‘most valuable’ for graduates

Is your college major considered a “valuable” investment?

A new ranking list from Bankrate.com finds architectural engineering to be the “most valuable” major, while visual and performing arts is the “least valuable.”

The study compared 159 majors and ranked them based on median annual income, unemployment rate and career paths that do not demand schooling beyond a bachelor’s degree.



According to Bankrate.com’s findings, architectural engineering majors earn a media salary of $90,000 and have an unemployment rate of 1.3%. Visual and performing arts graduates earn a median salary of $35,000 and have a 3.6% unemployment.

STEM degrees all ranked high on the list, according to Bankrate.com, with construction services, computer engineering, aerospace engineering and transportation sciences and technologies placing in the top 5.

Completing the FAFSA: Everything you should know

Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which opens by Dec. 31, is one of the most important steps students and their families can take to pay for college. Some states now make completing the FAFSA a high school graduation requirement. The U.S. Department of Education awarded about $111.6 billion in federal grants, loans and work-study funds in fiscal year 2022, according to the most recent Federal Student Aid annual report. Those federal funds will assist roughly 9.8 million students in completing their education.
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