Class of 2006 college graduates with accounting, economics, or business administration degrees can expect to see higher starting salary offers than graduates did last year, according to results of a new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
For a Limited Time receive a
FREE Compensation Market Analysis Report! Find out how much you should be paying to attract and retain the best applicants and employees, with
customized information for your industry, location, and job.
Get Your Report Now!"Our first look at average starting salary offers to the college class of 2006 provides further evidence of an overall positive job market," says Marilyn Mackes, executive director of NACE. "By and large, the average salary increases employers offered to new college graduates were respectable, and some were standouts."
The average starting salary offer for accounting graduates stands at $45,723, a 6.2 percent increase. The survey found that average offer for economics/finance graduates is $45,191, up 11 percent.
Business administration/management graduates are seeing their average salary offer increase by a 3.9 percent, boosting their average salary offer to $39,850. Meanwhile, the average salary offer to marketing graduates fell by 3.4 percent, lowering their average offer to $36,260.
During the 2004 and 2005 academic years, computer science graduates enjoyed watching their average starting salary increase steadily. However, the average offer to computer science graduates fell 2 percent to $50,046.
Chemical engineering graduates saw their average salary offer rise by 4.2 percent to $55,900. Similarly, the average salary offer to civil engineering graduates increased by 4.3 percent to $44,999, and electrical engineering graduates saw their average offer increase 3.5 percent to $52,899.