15 bachelor's degree majors with starting pay of $50,000-plus

By Susan Ricker, CareerBuilder Writer

Four-year college graduates will earn $1 million more in their lifetime than those with a high-school diploma*, but some college graduates will get a head start on reaching that six-figure advantage. The National Association of Colleges and Employers released the starting salaries by academic major for bachelor's degree graduates.
The list below includes the 15 top-paying majors with average starting pay of more than $50,000 a year. The list also notes the change in pay from 2011 to 2012. All starting pay levels listed increased by at least 2 percent, an encouraging sign that the job market is improving for college grads.
1. Computer engineering**
Average starting pay in 2012: $70,400
Average starting pay in 2011: $67,800
Percent change: 3.8
2. Chemical engineering
Average starting pay in 2012: $66,400
Average starting pay in 2011: $64,100
Percent change: 3.6
3. Computer science
Average starting pay in 2012: $64,400
Average starting pay in 2011: $62,100
Percent change: 3.7
4. Aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering
Average starting pay in 2012: $64,000
Average starting pay in 2011: $59,100
Percent change: 3.6
5. Mechanical engineering
Average starting pay in 2012: $62,900
Average starting pay in 2011: $60,500
Percent change: 4.0
6. Electrical/electronics and communications engineering
Average starting pay in 2012: $62,300
Average starting pay in 2011: $60,000
Percent change: 3.8
7. Civil engineering
Average starting pay in 2012: $57,700
Average starting pay in 2011: $56,200
Percent change: 2.5
8. Finance
Average starting pay in 2012: $57,300
Average starting pay in 2011: $54,800
Percent change: 4.6
9. Construction science/management
Average starting pay in 2012: $56,600
Average starting pay in 2011: $55,000
Percent change: 2.9
10. Information sciences and systems
Average starting pay in 2012: $56,100
Average starting pay in 2011: $54,000
Percent change: 3.9
11. Economics (business/managerial)
Average starting pay in 2012: $55,800
Average starting pay in 2011: $53,500
Percent change: 4.3
12. Business administration/management
Average starting pay in 2012: $55,200
Average starting pay in 2011: $53,000
Percent change: 4.2
13. Accounting
Average starting pay in 2012: $52,900
Average starting pay in 2011: $50,800
Percent change: 4.1
14. Nursing
Average starting pay in 2012: $52,200
Average starting pay in 2011: $50,300
Percent change: 3.8
15. Marketing/marketing management (including marketing research)
Average starting pay in 2012: $51,000
Average starting pay in 2011: $48,700
Percent change: 4.7
* According to the National Association of College and University Business Officers (as of October 2012)
** Information from the NACE January 2013 Salary Survey

7 In-Demand Skills That Will Get You Hired In 2013, By Business Insider

7 In-Demand Skills That Will Get You Hired In 2013

By Business Insider
Posted Mar 3rd 2013 @ 8:53AM
Filed under: Job Search Tips, Job Skills

99 18014 5 1 5 15

By Vivian Giang

People with specific sought-after skills are having an easier time finding jobs. In fact, they're getting snatched up pretty quickly, according to Brian McCullough, founder of ResumeWriting.com.

Below, McCullough shares some critical employability skills that you need to have on your resume right now:

1. Math, statistics or data analysis -- "Your average company is always trying to figure out how to manage their data stream," McCullough tells us. "It seems to be a major trend across all sorts of industries that big business is looking for smart people to help them manage, organize, and tap into that data."

2. Supply chain management and logistics -- McCullough says that these skills are often searched for, because "companies are always looking for ways to cut costs and be more efficient," so if you can "load your resume or [LinkedIn] profile with industry and scenario-specific logistics keywords, you can expect the headhunters and hiring mangers to come to you."

More: Sign Up For AOL Jobs' Newsletter

3. Social media -- If you claim to be an expert in social media, you better have an active presence online and have a good number of followers. "It's more important how active you are," he says. "You can't just be posting tweets, but also be replying to others and joining in on conversations."

4. CRM -- "Customer relationship management platforms have exploded over the last 15 years and are key to operations for almost all industries in the private and even public sector," McCullough says. Keywords showing proficiency with the major platforms - Salesforce and SAP - will be the first things hiring managers search for when looking to fill open sales and marketing positions.

More: Key Skills You Need To Get Hired Right Now

5. Crisis management -- Related keywords to this skill would be risk management, emergency management, public safety, public relations, operations management, and brand management.

6. P&L Responsibility -- General management candidates can stand out if they have "Profit and Loss" or "P&L Responsibility" on their resumes, because these workers are able to "demonstrate direct responsibility for revenue development and cost control," McCullough tells us.

7. Foreign language -- McCullough says that knowing a foreign language is the "most successful keyword on a resume," especially if that language is Mandarin.

"You might be a run-of-the-mill salesperson, but if you have mastery of another language on your resume or LinkedIn profile, you're going to come up in keyword searches more often than you would think."

Whatever skills you have, jobseekers need to think about what hiring managers will search for when creating their resume. For example, recruiters aren't going to search for vague terms like "self starter" or "detail-oriented." Instead, they'll search for the skills that they need in a candidate, so you need to think about your experiences, degree, major, specialties and certifications all as keywords.