The cost of college has continued its march higher, so it stands to reason that you might want to get the most bang for your bucket of bucks after you graduate. For this article, culled from PayScale’s detailed study of salaries related to college degrees of all stripes, ThinkAdvisor focused on college business majors, which accounts for one third of all bachelor degrees in the United States and, of course, is most related to the financial services arena.
Payscale’s College Salary Report for 2017-18 gathered information from 2.3 million college students. The sample considered for the salary report was 2.3 million college graduates from more than 92% of schools with undergraduate enrollment of 1,000 and 98% of schools with 5,000 enrollment.
To figure the salary, PayScale combined base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime, and other forms of cash earnings, but not stock compensation.
So, check out the list and see what the 20 best paying jobs are for business majors -- and if you have an accounting degree feel free to celebrate.
20. SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST
- Median mid-career pay: $87,500 (median salary for alumni with 10+ years’ experience)
- Most common major: Finance
- Workers with major: 32%
- Workers with high job meaning: 35% (Percent of alumni who say their work makes the world a better place)
19. FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
- Median mid-career pay: $88,200
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 55%
- High job meaning: 44%
18. COST ACCOUNTING MANAGER
- Median mid-career pay: $91,700
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 71%
- High job meaning: N/A
17. MANAGER OF ACCOUNTING & FINANCIAL REPORTING
- Median mid-career pay: $92,700
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 56%
- High job meaning: N/A
16. DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
- Median mid-career pay: $97,300
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 38%
- High job meaning: 66%
15. PLANT CONTROLLER
- Median mid-career pay: $101,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 60%
- High job meaning: 48%
14. (TIE) CORPORATE CONTROLLER
- Median mid-career pay: $102,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 60%
- High job meaning: 39%
14. (TIE) FINANCIAL REPORTING MANAGER
- Median mid-career pay: $102,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 63%
- High job meaning: 32%
12. (TIE) ACCOUNTING DIRECTOR
- Median mid-career pay: $108,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 69%
- High job meaning: 43%
12. (TIE) DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
- Median mid-career pay: $108,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 38%
- High job meaning: 56%
10. BUSINESS UNIT CONTROLLER
- Median mid-career pay: $113,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 48%
- High job meaning: 39%
9. MANAGER, FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS
- Median mid-career pay: $115,000
- Most common major: Finance
- Workers with major: 33%
- High job meaning: 37%
8. DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING & FINANCIAL REPORTING
- Median mid-career pay: $128,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 68%
- High job meaning: 40%
7. SENIOR FINANCE MANAGER
- Median mid-career pay: $130,000
- Most common major: Finance
- Workers with major: 28%
- High job meaning: 45%
6. SENIOR TAX MANAGER
- Median mid-career pay: $141,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 70%
- High job meaning: 29%
5. INTERNAL AUDIT DIRECTOR
- Median mid-career pay: $142,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 63%
- High job meaning: 35%
4. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)
- Median mid-career pay: $152,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 52%
- High job meaning: 65%
3. TAX DIRECTOR
- Median mid-career pay: $169,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 67%
- High job meaning: 35%
2. PARTNER, ACCOUNTING FIRM
- Median mid-career pay: $196,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 86%
- High job meaning: 58%
1. CHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER (CAO)
- Median mid-career pay: $198,000
- Most common major: Accounting
- Workers with major: 81%
- High job meaning: N/A
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Ronald Pechtimaldjian
Ron, who is Executive Editor of ThinkAdvisor, has worked for the website since 2010, when he helped design and launch the site. Previously, he was a staff editor at The New York Times News Service for 18 years, editing TimesDigest, a daily digest of The Times distributed worldwide. He also edited The New York Times International Weekly, a syndicated news section with a global readership of over 6 million. Ron received a B.S. in Communications from University of Texas at Austin. He also attended University of London, studying Art, Architecture and Theater.
