High Earning College Degrees

Some degrees result in larger paychecks than others - and more students, particularly men, are flocking to these fields Jill Schlesinger reports.

Jill Schlesinger: Alex Gallego is excited to be back for his last year at NYU’s Polytechnic Institute. While graduation is months away, Alex is not concerned about entering today’s week job market. Alex Gallego: I've been fortunate enough to get very good offers above $80,000 from multiple employers, so I already have a job. Jill Schlesinger: Alex is Computer Engineering major is turning out to be a good investment. A recent study ranked college degrees by expected income and came to one big conclusion, the highest paying degrees all happen to be in one field, Engineering. Barbara Hall: The student supply and as freshmen here at Poly understand where the money is and that there is money at the end of the rainbow. Jill Schlesinger: And that pot of gold has become increasingly important to undergrads. Seventy-eight percent say being very well-off financially is their top priority, a number that’s been on the rise since the study began nearly 50 years ago. However, experts caution against choosing a degree based on income solely saying it could be a recipe for unhappiness. Trudy Steinfeld: One of the biggest mistake students can make and certainly do make is selecting a field that will pay them a lot of money and six months later they are absolutely miserable. Jill Schlesinger: Women maybe choosing this route less often than man. The study reveals the majority of female students pursue professions that don’t even make the list of top 25 following passions in business, education and health care. Lucky for Alex, his passion has a pay-off. For CBS news, I'm Jill Schlesinger, CBS MoneyWatch.com.