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Top 20 Best-Paying College Degrees in 2010
By Lynn O'Shaughnessy | CBS Moneywatch.com

Here's a hint:  The college degrees that lead to the highest salaries all involve high-level mathematics.

Just like last year's survey of salaries by college degrees, engineering majors dominate the list. For undergraduates, seven of the top 10 college degrees, according to PayScale, Inc., belong to engineering majors. The best paying college degree of all — by a long shot — is petroleum engineering.

The salary advantage that graduates, who earn these largely technical degrees, enjoy continues as they move into the middle of their careers.

Here are the top 20 best-paying college degrees in 2010:

College Degree               Starting Median Pay   Mid-career pay

1. Petroleum engineering       $93,000                  $157,000
2. Aerospace engineering       $59,400                 $108,000
3. Chemical engineering         $64,800                 $108,000
4. Electrical engineering          $60,800                 $104,000
5. Nuclear engineering            $63,900                 $104,000
6. Applied mathematics           $56,400                $101,000
7. Biomedical engineering       $54,800                 $101,000
8. Physics                                $50,700                 $99,600
9. Computer engineering         $61,200                 $87,700
10. Economics                           $48,800                 $97,800
11. Computer science                $56,200                 $97,700
12. Civil engineering                   $53,500                $93,400
13. Statistics                               $50,000                $93,400
14. Finance                                 $47,500                 $91,500
15. Software engineering            $56,700                 $91,300
16. Management info. systems    $50,900                 $90,300
17. Mathematics                          $46,400                 $88,300
18. Government                          $41,500                  $88,300
19. Information systems             $49,300                  $87,100
20. Construction Management    $50,400                  $87,000

If you want to avoid the worst-paying college degrees, think twice before choosing a college major that involves children.

Included among the 20 worst-paying college degrees are elementary education, special education, social work and child and family studies. That's the conclusion of the latest annual study of college degrees by Payscale, Inc. that compiled starting and mid-career pay for dozens of college majors.

Child and family studies earned the honors as the worst-paying college major. The average graduate earns a beginning salary of $29,500. What's equally discouraging is that the salary of someone in this field will barely budge after 15 years in the profession.

Food is another common theme for students who major in the worst-paying college degrees. Students who earn degrees in horticulture, dietetics and the culinary arts are more likely to end up struggling financially.

20 Worst-Paying College Degrees in 2010

College Degree                     Starting pay     Mid-career pay

1. Child and family studies      $29,500         $38,400
2. Elementary education          $31,600         $44,400
3. Social work                          $31,800         $44,900
4. Athletic training                   $32,800         $45,700
5. Culinary arts                        $35,900         $50,600
6. Horticulture                          $35,000         $50,800
7. Paralegal studies/law             $35,100        $51,300
8. Theology                               $34,700         $51,300
9. Recreation & leisure               $33,300        $53,200
10. Special education                   $36,000        $53,800
11. Dietetics                                $40,400        $54,200
12. Religious studies                    $34,700        $54,400
13. Art                                         $33,500        $54,800
14. Education                               $35,100        $54,900
15. Interdisciplinary studies          $35,600        $55,700
16. Interior design                        $34,400         $56,600
17. Nutrition                                 $42,200         $56,700
18. Graphic design                        $35,400         $56,800
19. Music                                      $36,700         $57,000
20. Art history                               $39,400         $57,100