Median mid-career pay: $89,900-$98,600
Median starting salary: $47,000-$52,600
Applied mathematics, statistics and mathematics majors are known for bringing home the fiscal bacon, but a double bonus to taking one of these degrees is the booming job market in these related fields. Jeff Strohl, director of research for Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, reports that jobs abound. A whopping 95 percent of mathematics majors and 92 percent of those majoring in statistics or mathematical decision science fields are employed. If you want to sweeten your paycheck, aim high on the career ladder.
"As people age, moving into management generally leads into higher earnings, regardless of what the major is," he says.