There’s good news for today’s seniors, particularly those majoring in engineering. The job market may not be as hot as it was five years ago, but more disciplines are showing increases to their average starting salaries than at this point last year, according to the Winter 2005 issue of Salary Survey, a quarterly report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Majors in computer engineering and chemical engineering top the list of most lucrative college degrees. The average starting salary for chemical engineering grads is $53,659, up 2.1 percent from last year. Average salaries for computer engineering grads start at $53,117.  Electrical engineering grads also posted an increase; their average starting offer rose 2.4 percent to $51,113. Among other engineering disciplines, civil engineering graduates posted a 5.1 percent increase in their average starting salary, bringing it to $43,159.

Engineering grads are also among the graduates most in demand. Among employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2005 survey, accounting, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration, economics/finance, and computer science top the list of majors they plan to hire at the bachelor’s degree level. (See Figure 1.)

”We’re seeing a number of positive indications that the job market for new college graduates is improving,” says Marilyn Mackes, executive director of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). “For example, more than 80 percent of responding employers rated the job market for new college graduates as good, very good, or excellent. In comparison, last year at this time just over 38 percent gave the job market those ratings.”