Choosing a major can be nerve wracking for any college student. For the lucky few, a passion or obvious aptitude might make the ordeal smoother. For the rest, advice from relatives and friends only adds to the tension.
To help out, ThinkAdvisor has again mined PayScale.com's annual survey of colleges and universities in the U.S. to see which majors have the lowest starting salaries. Pay might not be everything, but with the high cost of tuition it's worth considering. After all, those student loans will demand attention.
There's been a debate raging about whether college is worth the cost. The answer is not easy, and there's more to consider than just a simple return on investment equation. Socialization, exposure to new ideas and other factors should be considered.
Despite the fact that this year's data included 207 majors, up from 129 last year, many of the occupations at the bottom of the list are holdovers. The rankings below are based on data collected by PayScale.com from 1,000 universities and include graduates with bachelor's degrees only. The universities surveyed include 86% of U.S. schools with an enrollment of more than 5,000. We sorted them by starting salary down to the lowest and included information and ranking for mid-career pay.
Take a look at the 30 worst paying college majors in 2015.
30. Pastoral Ministry (tie)
Starting Salary: $36,300
Mid-Career Salary: $46,000 (200th)
30. Physical Education Teaching (tie)
Starting Salary: $36,300
Mid-Career Salary: $57,400 (175th, tie)
28. Broadcast Journalism
Starting Salary: $36,100
Mid-Career Salary: $69,700 (108th, tie)
26. Studio Art (tie)
Starting Salary: $36,000
Mid-Career Salary: $54,000 (189th, tie)
26. Exercise & Sports Science (tie)
Starting Salary: $36,000
Mid-Career Salary: $57,700 (170th tie)
24. Criminal Justice
Salary: $35,900
Mid-Career Salary: $58,800 (164th)
23. Recreation & Leisure Studies
Starting Salary: $35,800
Mid-Career Salary: $47,100 (196th)
22. Drama
Starting Salary: $35,800
Mid-Career Salary: $59,300 (160h)
21. Religious Studies
Starting Salary: $35,700
Mid-Career Salary: $70,000 (107th)
20. Hospitality & Tourism
Starting Salary: $35,600
Mid-Career Salary: $59,900 (152nd, tie)
19. Horticulture
Starting Salary: $35,200
Mid-Career Salary: $47,700 (195th)
18. Animal Science (tie)
Starting Salary: $35,100
Mid-Career Salary: $58,500 (166th, tie)
18. Paralegal Studies (tie)
Starting Salary: $35,100
Mid-Career Salary: $55,200 (185th)
16. Athletic Training
Starting Salary: $35,000
Mid-Career Salary: $45,900 (201st)
15. Biblical Studies
Starting Salary: $34,900
Mid-Career Salary: $48,500 (193rd)
14. Special Education (tie)
Starting Salary: $34,500
Mid-Career Salary: $46,800 (198th)
14. Therapeutic Recreation (tie)
Starting Salary: $34,500
Mid-Career Salary: $46,900 (197th)
12. Exercise Science
Starting Salary: $34,400
Mid-Career Salary: $53,400 (107th, tie)
11. Culinary Arts & Culinary Management
Starting Salary: $33,900
Mid-Career Salary: $55,300 (184th)
10. Human Services
Starting Salary: $33,800
Mid-Career Salary: $41,300 (203rd)
9. Broadcast Communication (tie)
Starting Salary: $33,600
Mid-Career Salary: $61,600 (140th)
9. Elementary Education (tie)
Starting Salary: $33,600
Mid-Career Salary: $45,500 (202nd)
7. Music Teacher Education
Starting Salary: $33,300
Mid-Career Salary: $45,500 (174th)
6. Social Work
Starting Salary: $32,800
Mid-Career Salary: $46,600 (199th, tie)
5. Early Childhood & Elementary Education
Starting Salary: $32,300
Mid-Career Salary: $40,400 (204th)
4. Child Development
Starting Salary: $32,200
Mid-Career Salary: $36,400 (207th)
3. Culinary Arts
Starting Salary: $31,900
Mid-Career Salary: $50,800 (192nd)
2. Child & Family Studies
Starting Salary: $31,200
Mid-Career Salary: $38,600 (205th)
1. Early Childhood Education
Starting Salary: $29,700
Mid-Career Salary: $38,000 (206th)
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