The Student Room Group

Most lucrative degrees 10 years after graduation

So the Institute of Fiscal Studies published a report that tracks the median wages of graduates across different degrees, 10 years post graduation. I thought it makes for an interesting read, and goes some way in dispelling a few myths about degrees that lead to the most successful careers.

The full article on the bbcwebsite : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36028368

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Well I could have guessed that creative arts and "mass communication" (lol) would be at the bottom, and that Medicine and Economics would be at the top.

What I would like to have is the full list by university and by degree.
Original post by Josb
Well I could have guessed that creative arts and "mass communication" (lol) would be at the bottom, and that Medicine and Economics would be at the top.

What I would like to have is the full list by university and by degree.


well provided you're only interested in Oxbridge, LSE, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, Southampton, York, Warwick, Exeter, Liverpool, Durham, Edinburgh, KCL, Imperial and LSE... you're in luck... figs. 9-14.
http://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/publications/wps/wp1606.pdf#34

unfortunately the person responsible for figs. 9-14 should imo be convicted of crimes against intelligibility.
Original post by Josb
Well I could have guessed that creative arts and "mass communication" (lol) would be at the bottom, and that Medicine and Economics would be at the top.

What I would like to have is the full list by university and by degree.


why would medicine be near the top? they have double the degree length and still earn peanuts upon qualifying?
Odd how most of them are in the 20s...not sure whether to be disappointed that I'm at 25K or pleased that it's in the top ten
So you study for 3 or 4 years and then 10 years later you make around 30k or 40k? I think I'll pass.
Where is medicine?
Original post by welcometoib
why would medicine be near the top? they have double the degree length and still earn peanuts upon qualifying?


Err, because these are statistics 10 years post-graduation and degree length has played no relevance?
Original post by welcometoib
why would medicine be near the top? they have double the degree length and still earn peanuts upon qualifying?


Well it's median earnings after 10 years - places on medicine courses are strictly controlled, one of the results of which is that nearly all medics are in a fairly tight range of salaries after 10 years... and realistically they're not bad salaries really.
Original post by ODES_PDES
Where is medicine?

try that
ifs.JPG
How can that be right, arent the salaries pitifylly low. there must be a lot working in Mcds then.
Original post by banterboy
Odd how most of them are in the 20s...not sure whether to be disappointed that I'm at 25K or pleased that it's in the top ten


Other than Biology none of the results below Maths are much of a surprise. They either have a low number of highly paid jobs or a huge number of graduates.
Original post by 999tigger
How can that be right, arent the salaries pitifylly low. there must be a lot working in Mcds then.


They included people without jobs, so everything is basically a deflated version of what the real distribution is like.

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Original post by Princepieman
They included people without jobs, so everything is basically a deflated version of what the real distribution is like.

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I got that, but even so.Poor vets.
earning anything like the median that has been quoted for the above degrees by the age of 30 sounds horrible, id have thought it was a lot higher esp for quantitative degrees.
Original post by welcometoib
earning anything like the median that has been quoted for the above degrees by the age of 30 sounds horrible, id have thought it was a lot higher esp for quantitative degrees.


It probably is. When you mix in a lot of people earning £0 with people earning a decent wage, the data will be skewed downwards. You also have to remember that not everyone gets on a grad scheme with good upward trajectory, the vast majority of grads across all the unis will be on more modest trajectories.

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Original post by Princepieman
It probably is. When you mix in a lot of people earning £0 with people earning a decent wage, the data will be skewed downwards. You also have to remember that not everyone gets on a grad scheme with good upward trajectory, the vast majority of grads across all the unis will be on more modest trajectories.

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yeah but what % is earning zero quid a decade after their degree? id say a peanut proportion no? and true that, i guess this does incorporate every single university student no matter how good or bad, with the same degree offerings. still, scary numbers being shown lol, perfect for daily mail scaremongering articles on why university is useless and to go do apprenticeships.
Original post by welcometoib
yeah but what % is earning zero quid a decade after their degree? id say a peanut proportion no? and true that, i guess this does incorporate every single university student no matter how good or bad, with the same degree offerings. still, scary numbers being shown lol, perfect for daily mail scaremongering articles on why university is useless and to go do apprenticeships.


That would be excellent advice but it seems that you've already dismissed it.
Original post by SirMilkSheikh
That would be excellent advice but it seems that you've already dismissed it.


quite the opposite actually, think they are an excellent alternative and careers advisers/colleges need to get their heads out their asses and market/present them as a proper and concrete alternative to university.

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