Collegejournal.com gives the Lowdown on starting salaries

Starting salaries for new graduates vary greatly, says CollegeJournal.com, The Wall Street Journalís guide for career-minded college students.

ìMany college grads have unrealistic salary expectations,î says Tony Lee, editor in chief, CollegeJournal.com. ìGeographic location, cost of living, and supply and demand all play a role in determining starting salary.î

For example, the starting salary in a metropolitan area with a high cost of living may be significantly higher than the salary for the same job in a rural area. If youíre looking for a job in a field that is filled with candidates, youíll find stiff competitionóso your ability to negotiate salary will probably be limited. However, some fields are so hot that graduates in these areas will have their choice of employers.

The education and health-services industry supersector is projected to grow faster, 31.8%, and add more jobs than any other industry supersector. About one out of every four new jobs created in the U.S. economy will be in either the health-care and social-assistance or private educational-services sectors, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

College students looking for some of the highest starting salaries may want to consider majoring in chemical engineeringówith an average entry-level salary of $52,038óor computer science, with an average income of $50,007.

CollegeJournal.com gives the average starting salaries for these selected disciplines:

Entry-level consulting: $48,247
Manufacturing: $47,861
Actuaries: $46,991
Engineers: $44,500
Accounting: $42,155
Economics/finance majors: $40,718
Retail/wholesale-trade: $33,536
Journalism: $27,646
Customer-service representatives: $25,000

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