Highest-paying bachelor's degrees

Story by CareerBuilder.com
Written by Rachel Zupek Farrell

It's admirable when college graduates are determined to work in their dream job, no matter if it pays six figures or diddly squat. Unfortunately, it's also rare.

Before the inevitable realization that money doesn't always equal happiness, students enter their college years in a green haze. In other words, they want a job where they can earn lots of green -- which means majoring in something to take them there.

The good news is that the average starting salary for some professions is rising.

The average starting salary for the college class of 2011 is $51,018, up from $48,661 last year, according to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The survey asked 900 employers and 1,800 colleges and universities to come up with a list of top-paying college majors and their corresponding average salary offers.

"The steady increases in starting salary offers we're seeing this year is a good indication that the job market for new college graduates is gathering strength," Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director, said in a press release.

Overall, the average salary offer to graduates in the business disciplines rose 3 percent to $48,694, while students in the computer science disciplines saw their average offer rise 4.3 percent to $62,328. As a group, the engineering majors saw a 2.5 percent increase, giving them an average salary offer of $60,465.

Humanities and social sciences graduates also fared well, with a 15.3 percent increase in their starting salary offer to $40,057.