Other campuses: Starting salaries of college graduates increase

(U-WIRE) RALEIGH, N.C. – A report published in early February by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed significant national growth in the average starting salaries of North Carolina State University’s leading majors.

Civil and electrical engineering, accounting, computer science and business administration all realized growth ranging from 2.4 to 5.1 percent in average starting salary, according to the report. NACE’s quarterly report documented development at the bachelor’s degree level only.

Nino Masnari, the dean of the College of Engineering, said the recent increases in average starting salaries for graduates did not surprise him.

“With the technology fields exploding now again, companies are hiring more and more people, and they are starting to build more and more buildings,” Masnari said.

He commented that the growth should continue; however, attention will still be paid to an ongoing struggle with outsourcing in the United States.

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“Students are getting more and more opportunities to interview,” Masnari said. “At the same time, you’ll probably be hearing more concerns about outsourcing jobs overseas.”

For Steven MacEachern, a sophomore in business management, NACE’s report is more than pleasing. MacEachern chose the field of business management because of the opportunities it proposed.

“It is a growing industry with a lot of potential,” MacEachern said.

He did suggest, however, that a lone-standing bachelor’s degree was not enough to separate him in the job market. MacEachern said he plans on declaring a finance concentration during his junior year, as well as pursuing a minor in accounting.

“There are so many business management majors,” MacEachern said. “[A minor in accounting] is just one more way to diversify yourself before you enter the work-world.”

The report cited elementary education as having the highest increase in average starting salary. Elementary educators, on average, make $30,364, which is an 11.2 percent increase from 2004, according to NACE.

Jackie Smith, a sophomore involved with the Raleigh Cooperating Colleges Program, is majoring in communication at State and elementary education at Meredith College in Raleigh. She is able to take classes and earn an extra degree at Meredith at no extra cost. Smith, who wants to teach kindergarten or first grade, acknowledges the security of a job is attractive; however, she said she has always just wanted to teach.

“They definitely do not tell you about job growth in your classes,” Smith said.

She added that her major at NCSU will be just as vital in dealing with young people as a teacher.

“The two [majors] really do relate,” Smith said. “You have to be able to communicate with all different types of people.”

Liberal studies headlined the group of majors that have seen depreciation in salary growth.

For some students, including Summer Ibrahim, a senior in English rhetoric and writing, the depreciation is not necessarily a terrible thing. Ibrahim, who plans to go into education, said learning how to communicate is as important as anything else.

“Being able to communicate as a writer and as a reader are the things that really matter to people,” Ibrahim said.

According to the University Career Center, after 2003, 53.7 percent of the graduating class planned to go into the work force, while 24.5 percent of the same class planned to continue their education in various fields.