While the current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lockdowns and job losses in certain sectors, the youth unemployment rates have also witnessed record numbers. According to Statistics Canada, the situation could adversely affect postsecondary graduates for years to come.
Although it is too early to know which graduates will be the worst hit, students entering college or university and having to select a program might benefit from knowing how well graduates from specific academic disciplines fared in the labour market prior to the pandemic.
Which Master’s Degree Programs Were Associated with the Highest Pay Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Data has been released from three new studies by Statistics Canada, and it sheds light on this important issue. The studies provide a snapshot of the labour market success of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral graduates from detailed programs.
In total, these gender-based studies include results for men in 118 bachelor’s degree programs and women in 123 programs; men in 77 master’s degree programs and women in 95 programs; and men in 29 doctoral degree programs and women in 22 programs.
The studies reveal many interesting findings. For example, they show that most top-earners among bachelor’s degree graduates came from various engineering specialties: 6 of the top 10 disciplines among men, and 7 of the top 10 disciplines among women were in engineering.
Median earnings of male bachelor’s degree graduates
Field of study | Median |
---|---|
2017 constant dollars | |
Mining and mineral engineering* | 111,533 |
Pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and administration* | 106,055 |
Petroleum engineering* | 104,822 |
Nuclear engineering* | 100,458 |
Chemical engineering* | 89,637 |
Computer/information technology administration and management* | 87,132 |
Mathematics and computer science* | 86,076 |
Geological/geophysical engineering* | 85,439 |
Industrial production technologies/technicians* | 84,271 |
Engineering science* | 82,877 |
Systems engineering* | 82,272 |
Engineering, general* | 82,204 |
Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing* | 82,079 |
Construction management* | 81,711 |
Computer systems networking and telecommunications* | 80,976 |
Construction engineering* | 80,755 |
Electrical, electronics and communications engineering* | 79,636 |
Mechanical engineering* | 79,340 |
Computer engineering* | 78,905 |
Public health* | 78,506 |
Manufacturing engineering* | 78,074 |
Management sciences and quantitative methods* | 77,847 |
Computer programming* | 77,776 |
Engineering, other* | 77,497 |
Allied health diagnostic, intervention and treatment professions* | 77,382 |
Aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical/space engineering* | 77,176 |
Materials engineering* | 76,738 |
Civil engineering* | 76,451 |
Industrial engineering* | 76,386 |
Mechatronics, robotics, and automation engineering* | 75,422 |
Physical sciences, general* | 75,259 |
Computer engineering technologies/technicians* | 74,532 |
Engineering physics/applied physics* | 74,505 |
Engineering-related fields* | 74,146 |
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences business services | 73,230 |
Criminal justice and corrections* | 73,124 |
Management information systems and services* | 72,921 |
Computer and information sciences and support services, general* | 72,354 |
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering | 71,998 |
Computer science* | 71,573 |
Environmental/environmental health engineering | 70,035 |
Finance and financial management services* | 69,519 |
Business/commerce, general* | 69,209 |
Surveying engineering | 69,004 |
Physics | 68,504 |
Entrepreneurial and small business operations | 67,303 |
Accounting and related services | 67,160 |
Marketing | 66,220 |
Forestry | 65,931 |
City/urban, community and regional planning | 65,281 |
All fields of study | 65,113 |
Business administration, management and operations | 65,019 |
Computer software and media applications | 65,014 |
Geological and Earth sciences/geosciences | 64,969 |
Applied mathematics | 64,382 |
Criminology | 64,291 |
Human resources management and services | 63,832 |
Public administration | 63,352 |
Special education and teaching | 63,265 |
*significantly different than all fields of study combined (p < 0.05) Sources: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and T1 Family File (T1FF). |
Median earnings of female bachelor’s degree graduates
Field of study | Median |
---|---|
2017 constant dollars | |
Pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and administration* | 94,177 |
Mining and mineral engineering* | 89,680 |
Chemical engineering* | 82,193 |
Mechanical engineering* | 77,144 |
Industrial engineering* | 75,814 |
Electrical, electronics and communications engineering* | 75,269 |
Materials engineering* | 74,277 |
Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing* | 73,169 |
Management sciences and quantitative methods* | 73,085 |
Computer engineering* | 72,911 |
Civil engineering* | 71,076 |
Allied health diagnostic, intervention and treatment professions* | 70,862 |
Practical nursing, vocational nursing and nursing assistants* | 70,180 |
Computer science* | 69,170 |
Environmental/environmental health engineering* | 68,581 |
Management information systems and services* | 68,364 |
Clinical/medical laboratory science/research and allied professions* | 67,674 |
Dental support services and allied professions* | 66,804 |
Public health* | 65,371 |
Forestry* | 62,335 |
Business/commerce, general* | 60,847 |
Dietetics and clinical nutrition services* | 60,296 |
Legal support services | 60,293 |
Accounting and related services* | 60,083 |
Nutrition sciences* | 60,071 |
Computer and information sciences and support services, general* | 58,472 |
City/urban, community and regional planning* | 57,647 |
Graphic communications* | 57,507 |
Entrepreneurial and small business operations* | 57,471 |
Marketing* | 56,649 |
Architecture and related services, other | 55,912 |
Human resources management and services* | 55,689 |
Finance and financial management services* | 55,545 |
Food science and technology | 55,530 |
Business administration, management and operations* | 55,148 |
Family and consumer sciences/human sciences business services | 54,831 |
Geological and Earth sciences/geosciences | 54,336 |
Mathematics | 54,326 |
International business/trade/commerce | 54,268 |
Social work | 52,792 |
Quality control and safety technologies/technicians | 52,510 |
Plant sciences | 52,179 |
Journalism | 52,043 |
Human services, general | 51,983 |
Criminal justice and corrections | 51,955 |
Teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas | 51,177 |
Teaching English or French as a second or foreign language | 51,035 |
All fields of study | 50,986 |
Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, other | 50,859 |
Public relations, advertising and applied communication | 50,593 |
Special education and teaching | 50,525 |
Agricultural business and management | 50,286 |
Non-professional general legal studies (undergraduate) | 49,825 |
Community organization and advocacy | 49,584 |
Communication and media studies | 49,111 |
Public administration | 48,871 |
Teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods* | 48,330 |
Criminology | 48,179 |
Business/managerial economics | 47,888 |
Design and applied arts | 47,819 |
Pharmacology and toxicology | 47,599 |
Specialized sales, merchandising and marketing operations | 47,534 |
Foods, nutrition and related services | 47,222 |
*significantly different than all fields of study combined (p < 0.05) Sources: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and T1 Family File (T1FF). |
For both men and women, 8 of the bottom 10 disciplines associated with the lowest median earnings were in arts or humanities. The lowest-paying field among male graduates was drama/theatre arts and stagecraft ($35,935), while the lowest-paying field among female graduates was bilingual, multilingual and multicultural education ($19,892). Music graduates earned the third least for men ($38,462) and second least for women ($22,174).
For more details regarding the Bachelor’s Degree Programs, visit Statistics Canada.
Which Master’s Degree Programs Were Associated with the Highest Pay Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Business graduates are the highest earners among master’s degree holders
Five years after graduation, individuals with various business specialties out-earned all other master’s degree graduates, after accounting for differences in age, institution, and graduation year.
For men, the three top disciplines registering the highest median earnings included Finance and financial management services ($110,518), Business administration, management and operations ($108,382), and Accounting and related services ($102,718). Management sciences and quantitative methods graduates also landed in the top 10, with median earnings of $91,161 (9th place).
Median earnings of male master’s degree graduates
Field of study | Median |
---|---|
2017 constant dollars | |
Finance and financial management services* | 110,518 |
Business administration, management and operations* | 108,382 |
Accounting and related services* | 102,718 |
Health and medical administrative services* | 98,559 |
Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing* | 97,110 |
Educational administration and supervision* | 95,796 |
Computer/information technology administration and management* | 95,678 |
Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, other* | 95,386 |
Management sciences and quantitative methods | 91,161 |
Computer science | 89,821 |
Entrepreneurial and small business operations | 89,637 |
Curriculum and instruction | 89,064 |
Computer and information sciences and support services, general | 88,821 |
Education, general | 88,568 |
Engineering, other | 87,895 |
Geological and Earth sciences/geosciences | 87,737 |
Marketing | 86,754 |
Human resources management and services | 86,571 |
Computer engineering | 86,260 |
Systems engineering | 86,181 |
Social and philosophical foundations of education | 86,174 |
Teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods | 85,891 |
Educational/instructional media design | 85,651 |
Teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas | 85,514 |
Materials engineering | 85,129 |
Electrical, electronics and communications engineering | 84,915 |
All fields of study | 84,907 |
Educational assessment, evaluation and research | 84,580 |
Public health | 84,221 |
Education, other | 84,202 |
Aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical/space engineering | 83,995 |
Public administration | 83,993 |
Engineering-related fields | 83,964 |
Engineering, general | 83,593 |
Civil engineering | 82,620 |
Computer systems networking and telecommunications | 82,555 |
Construction engineering | 82,046 |
Chemical engineering | 81,355 |
Mechanical engineering | 80,860 |
Student counselling and personnel services | 80,757 |
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering | 79,904 |
International relations and national security studies | 79,853 |
Public policy analysis | 79,802 |
Economics | 79,359 |
Industrial engineering | 79,245 |
Environmental/environmental health engineering | 76,926 |
Communication and media studies | 76,842 |
International business/trade/commerce | 76,765 |
International/global studies | 76,687 |
Statistics | 76,536 |
Medical scientist | 75,598 |
Rehabilitation and therapeutic professions* | 75,533 |
Clinical, counselling and applied psychology | 75,460 |
Mathematics | 75,248 |
Natural resources conservation and research* | 74,417 |
City/urban, community and regional planning* | 74,264 |
Physics* | 73,484 |
Social work* | 73,287 |
Political science and government* | 73,059 |
Chemistry* | 72,155 |
Natural resources management and policy* | 71,435 |
Ecology, evolution, systematics and population biology* | 70,957 |
Geography and cartography* | 70,833 |
Health and physical education/fitness* | 70,813 |
Biochemistry/biophysics and molecular biology* | 70,600 |
Library science and administration* | 66,782 |
Sociology* | 65,083 |
Biology, general* | 63,979 |
History* | 62,418 |
Architecture and related services, other* | 61,465 |
Theological and ministerial studies* | 59,755 |
Journalism* | 59,471 |
Information science/studies* | 58,842 |
Philosophy, logic and ethics* | 57,832 |
English language and literature, general* | 55,730 |
Library and archives assisting* | 51,377 |
Music* | 41,477 |
Fine arts and art studies* | 39,583 |
* significantly different than all fields of study combined (p < 0.05) Sources: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and T1 Family File (T1FF). |
Median earnings of female master’s degree graduates
Field of study | Median |
---|---|
2017 constant dollars | |
Taxation* | 96,416 |
Finance and financial management services* | 92,956 |
Pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and administration* | 89,722 |
Accounting and related services* | 89,605 |
Business administration, management and operations* | 89,202 |
Registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing* | 87,536 |
Engineering, other* | 86,032 |
Educational administration and supervision* | 85,497 |
Health and medical administrative services* | 84,100 |
Industrial engineering* | 83,760 |
Teaching assistants/aides* | 81,493 |
Human resources management and services* | 80,884 |
Chemical engineering* | 80,762 |
Marketing* | 80,198 |
Public administration* | 79,829 |
Educational assessment, evaluation and research* | 78,801 |
Educational/instructional media design* | 78,287 |
Curriculum and instruction* | 78,246 |
Computer science* | 77,039 |
Civil engineering* | 76,845 |
International relations and national security studies* | 76,401 |
Management sciences and quantitative methods | 76,054 |
Social and philosophical foundations of education | 74,208 |
Education, other | 74,181 |
Education, general | 73,634 |
Public policy analysis | 73,305 |
Special education and teaching | 73,126 |
Teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas | 73,040 |
Public health | 72,661 |
Geological and Earth sciences/geosciences | 72,273 |
Biotechnology | 72,172 |
Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary studies, other | 71,156 |
Communication disorders sciences and services | 70,444 |
All fields of study | 69,510 |
International business/trade/commerce | 69,461 |
Rehabilitation and therapeutic professions | 69,232 |
Criminology | 69,151 |
Mathematics | 69,104 |
Journalism | 69,069 |
Nutrition sciences | 68,818 |
Teacher education and professional development, specific levels and methods | 68,815 |
Communication and media studies | 68,664 |
Electrical, electronics and communications engineering | 68,655 |
Statistics | 68,407 |
City/urban, community and regional planning | 67,774 |
Political science and government | 67,018 |
Economics | 66,198 |
Computer engineering | 65,752 |
Clinical, counselling and applied psychology | 65,635 |
Public relations, advertising and applied communication | 65,633 |
Mechanical engineering | 65,318 |
Social work* | 65,093 |
Bioengineering and biomedical engineering | 64,839 |
Student counselling and personnel services | 64,657 |
Environmental/environmental health engineering | 64,545 |
Natural resources conservation and research* | 63,674 |
Natural resources management and policy | 62,778 |
Ethnic, cultural minority, gender, and group studies | 62,435 |
Library science and administration* | 61,725 |
Mental and social health services and allied professions | 61,666 |
Information science/studies* | 61,467 |
Medical scientist* | 61,332 |
Psychology, general* | 60,971 |
Human services, general | 60,581 |
Ecology, evolution, systematics and population biology | 60,514 |
Health and physical education/fitness* | 60,493 |
Geography and cartography* | 60,419 |
Anthropology* | 60,201 |
Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies, other | 59,766 |
Chemistry* | 59,509 |
Architecture and related services, other* | 59,072 |
Physiology, pathology and related sciences* | 57,394 |
Sociology* | 57,170 |
Biology, general* | 57,007 |
Human development, family studies and related services* | 56,516 |
Foods, nutrition and related services* | 56,025 |
Landscape architecture* | 55,908 |
Cell/cellular biology and anatomical sciences* | 55,810 |
Biochemistry/biophysics and molecular biology* | 55,267 |
Teaching English or French as a second or foreign language* | 55,210 |
Microbiological sciences and immunology* | 54,428 |
Area studies* | 53,976 |
Food science and technology* | 53,692 |
International/global studies* | 53,649 |
Museology/museum studies* | 53,648 |
Design and applied arts* | 53,449 |
French literature* | 53,401 |
Library and archives assisting* | 52,756 |
Peace studies and conflict resolution* | 52,067 |
Linguistic, comparative and related language studies and services* | 51,278 |
Film/video and photographic arts* | 49,511 |
History* | 48,849 |
English language and literature, general* | 47,992 |
Fine arts and art studies* | 39,378 |
Music* | 28,266 |
Theological and ministerial studies* | 25,282 |
* significantly different than all fields of study combined (p < 0.05) Sources: Statistics Canada, Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and T1 Family File (T1FF). |
The data reveals that 7 of the bottom 10 fields among male master’s degree graduates are associated with arts or humanities [Fine arts and art studies, Music, English language and literature (general), Philosophy, logic, and ethics, Journalism, Theological and ministerial studies, and History]. Their median earnings five years after graduation ranged from about $40,000 to about $62,000.
For women, 8 of the bottom 10 fields included program associated with the arts or humanities (Theological and ministerial studies, Music, Fine arts and art studies, English language and literature (general), History, Film/video and photographic arts, Linguistic, comparative and related language studies and services, and French literature). Median earnings ranged from about $25,000 to about $53,000 for these graduates, five years after graduation.
For more details regarding the Bachelor’s Degree Programs, visit Statistics Canada.
Conclusion:
These reports highlight that many sectors naturally go through peaks and troughs, and this may affect the demand for graduates from different academic programs. Moreover, according to the report COVID-19 pandemic may lead to longer-term shifts in demand due to possible re-organization of work (e.g. teleworking or automation) or changes in demand in sectors like health care or clean energy.
Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Genomics and Precision Diagnostics are fields of study that are gaining significance in health sciences. These fields of study will have an impact on the growing demands of the industry seeking graduates in these fields of study and hence will have a salary impact.
Cover Photo: Spiroview Inc / Shutterstock.com