Degrees ranked by earning potential

By Jody O'Callaghan. University degrees are being ranked by officials according to their earning potential. A Ministry of Education report, Moving On Up - What Young People Earn After Their Tertiary Education, compares what graduates earn after studying different subjects and at different levels in New Zealand.
It coincides with the launch of a tool on the careers.govt.nz website today that uses up-to-date tertiary qualifications data and information from Inland Revenue to give potential students a frank outlook of different careers.
Five years after leaving university, a medicine graduate is earning about three times the average $35,500 salary of a performing arts graduate, according to the report. An engineer earns $58,287.
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce said the new report and website offered important, real information about New Zealand's industries. Read more...