Money is essential but it shouldn’t be the ultimate in making a choice on what to study. Actually, students should go for certain degrees because they’re good at it, the enjoy it, and they can fathom spending up to four years of their lives studying it.
However, while some career paths are renowned for having higher salaries than others, new research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the BBC outlines the average annual wage of people who took different degrees, five years after graduating.
The research details how those who read medicine or dentistry can earn around £47,000 within five years of leaving university, while other degrees can bring in half of that. Those with degrees in economics, veterinary science, engineering and technology also go on to earn higher salaries, while those with arts degrees tend to earn less.
Below are the 10 lowest-paying degrees five years on, on average:
10. Historical & philosophical studies — £25,547
9. Social studies (excluding economics) — £24,819
8. Biological sciences — £24,536
7. Combined (joint honours) — £24,520
6. Education — £24,385
5. English studies — £23,906
4. Psychology — £22,399
3. Communications (including media studies, journalism, and publishing) — £22,293
2. Agriculture & related subjects — £21,989
1. Creative arts & design — £20,085
The BBC’s research notes, “the income gap between students who studied the subjects that attract the highest and lowest salaries can be considerable”, and the subject you choose at university can limit the career baths you can go into later.
If only we’d known when we were choosing our A-levels, eh?
