Jobs in science will take students on the path to success if high pay is what they are seeking, according to the latest rankings of bachelor's degrees from PayScale.com.
Almost all of the 30 majors with the best starting salaries are in the sciences, with many involving engineering of one type or another.
The one outlier on the list is dental hygienist, although earnings growth for that occupation slows a bit by mid-career.
The rankings below are based on data collected by PayScale from 1,063 universities and include graduates with bachelor's degrees in 319 disciplines. The universities surveyed include 89% of U.S. schools with an enrollment of more than 5,000 and 64% of schools with enrollment over 1,000.
Take a look at the 30 best paying college majors for 2016:
30. Architectural Engineering
Starting salary: $58,000
Mid-career salary: $88,000 (63rd)
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29. Industrial Distribution
Starting salary: $58,100
Mid-career salary: $106,000 (16th, tie)
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28. Business Information Systems
Starting salary: $58,600
Mid-Career salary: $87,400 (65th)
27. Actuarial Mathematics
Starting salary: $58,800
Mid-career salary: $119,000 (3rd)
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26. Electrical Engineering Technology
Starting salary: $59,800
Mid-career salary: $88,600 (57th, tie)
25. Manufacturing Engineering
Starting salary: $60,400
Mid-career salary: $94,000 (39th)
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24. Electronics Engineering
Starting salary: $60,700
Mid-career salary: $96,700 (33rd)
23. Biomedical Engineering
Starting salary: $60,900
Mid-career salary: $96,400 (34th, tie)
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22. Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering
Starting salary: $61,100
Mid-career salary: $108,000 (12th, tie)
21. Packaging Science
Starting salary: $61,500
Mid-career salary: $88,100 (62nd)
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19 (tie). Software Engineering
Starting salary: $62,500
Mid-career salary: $96,800 (32nd)
19 (tie). Mechanical Engineering
Starting salary: $62,500
Mid-career salary: $102,000 (20th, tie)
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18. Industrial Engineering
Starting salary: $62,800
Mid-career salary: $99,600 (26th)
17. Computer Science & Mathematics
Starting salary: $62,900
Mid-career salary: $107,000 (14th, tie)
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16 (tie). Engineering Management
Starting salary: $63,100
Mid-career salary: $96,400 (34th, tie)
15 (tie). Computer Science
Starting salary: $63,100
Mid-career salary: $105,000 (18th, tie)
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14. Materials Science & Engineering
Starting salary: $64,600
Mid-career salary: $105,000 (18th, tie)
13. Aerospace Engineering
Starting salary: $64,800
Mid-career salary: $107,000 (14th, tie)
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12. Electronics & Communications Engineering
Starting salary: $65,000
Mid-career salary: $105,000 (5th)
11. Aeronautical Engineering
Starting salary: $65,100
Mid-career salary: $113,000 (9th)
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10. Dental Hygiene
Starting salary: $65,800
Mid-career salary: $68,700
9. Electrical Engineering
Starting salary: $66,500
Mid-career salary: $108,000 (12th, tie)
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8. Electrical & Computer Engineering
Starting salary: $67,000
Mid-career salary: $114,000 (7th, tie)
7. Systems Engineering
Starting salary: $67,100
Mid-career salary: $114,000 (7th, tie)
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6. Nuclear Engineering
Starting salary: $68,200
Mid-career salary: $121,000 (2nd)
5. Computer Engineering
Starting salary: $68,400
Mid-career salary: $109,000 (10th, tie)
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4. Computer Science & Engineering
Starting salary: $69,100
Mid-career salary: $115,000 (6th)
3. Chemical Engineering
Starting salary: $69,500
Mid-career salary: $118,000 (4th)
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2. Mining Engineering
Starting salary: $71,500
Mid-career salary: $109,000 (10th,tie)
1. Petroleum Engineering
Starting salary: $101,000
Mid-career salary: $168,000 (1st)
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