The college debt crisis has left thousands of young Americans financially crippled as they attempt to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. In addition, there is no shortage of college dropouts success stories such as self-made billionaires Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

Still, without a college education, the path to a high-paying job is much harder for most Americans. Postsecondary education is a prerequisite for many higher-paying jobs. On average, wages rise with education level. While the median annual wage of a person with a high school diploma is $37,110 a year, it is $71,530 for someone with a bachelor’s degree and $103,280 for those with doctoral or professional degree.

While the absolute highest paying jobs typically require a master’s, doctoral or professional degree, many of the other jobs in the top 50 require only a bachelor’s degree, or even, in one case, just an associate degree. Eight of the 10 best-jobs are in healthcare.

To identify the 50 highest paying jobs that typically require a college degree, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed annual median wage estimates for all occupations from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Click here to see the highest paying jobs you can get with a college degree.
Click here to see the detailed findings and methodology.

50. Materials scientists
> Median annual wage: $99,430
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 7,300
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 2.7%

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49. Nurse midwives
> Median annual wage: $99,770
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 5,300
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 24.6%

48. Sales engineers
> Median annual wage: $100,000
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 69,900
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 7.0%

47. Software developers, applications
> Median annual wage: $100,080
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 718,400
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 18.8%

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46. Actuaries
> Median annual wage: $100,610
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 24,600
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 18.1%

45. Advertising and promotions managers
> Median annual wage: $100,810
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 31,000
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 4.7%

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44. Nurse practitioners
> Median annual wage: $100,910
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 126,900
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 35.2%

43. Economists
> Median annual wage: $101,050
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 21,500
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 5.7%

42. Computer network architects
> Median annual wage: $101,210
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 146,200
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 8.7%

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41. Physician assistants
> Median annual wage: $101,480
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 94,400
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 30.4%

40. Nuclear engineers
> Median annual wage: $102,220
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 16,800
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): -4.0%

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39. Astronomers
> Median annual wage: $104,740
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 1,900
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 2.8%

38. Managers, all other
> Median annual wage: $104,970
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 985,600
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 3.9%

37. Mathematicians
> Median annual wage: $105,810
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 3,500
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 21.4%

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36. Training and development managers
> Median annual wage: $105,830
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 32,900
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 7.0%

35. Optometrists
> Median annual wage: $106,140
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 40,600
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 27.0%

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34. Software developers, systems software
> Median annual wage: $106,860
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 395,600
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 13.0%

33. Human resources managers
> Median annual wage: $106,910
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 122,500
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 8.8%

32. Public relations and fundraising managers
> Median annual wage: $107,320
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 65,800
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 7.1%

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31. Aerospace engineers
> Median annual wage: $109,650
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 72,500
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): -2.3%

30. Law teachers, postsecondary
> Median annual wage: $111,210
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 21,100
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 21.7%

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29. Purchasing managers
> Median annual wage: $111,590
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 73,000
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 1.0%

28. Computer and information research scientists
> Median annual wage: $111,840
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 25,600
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 10.7%

27. Political scientists
> Median annual wage: $114,290
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 6,200
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): -2.3%

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26. Computer hardware engineers
> Median annual wage: $115,080
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 77,700
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 3.1%

25. Physicists
> Median annual wage: $115,870
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 18,100
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 7.9%

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24. Compensation and benefits managers
> Median annual wage: $116,240
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 16,900
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 6.5%

23. Sales managers
> Median annual wage: $117,960
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 376,300
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 5.1%

22. Lawyers
> Median annual wage: $118,160
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 778,700
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 5.6%

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21. Natural sciences managers
> Median annual wage: $119,850
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 55,100
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 3.3%

20. Financial managers
> Median annual wage: $121,750
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 555,900
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 6.8%

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19. Pharmacists
> Median annual wage: $122,230
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 297,100
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 3.1%

18. Air traffic controllers
> Median annual wage: $122,410
> Typical education needed for entry: Associate degree
> Total employment: 24,500
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): -8.6%

17. Podiatrists
> Median annual wage: $124,830
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 9,600
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 14.1%

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16. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
> Median annual wage: $125,880
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 29,700
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 0.6%

15. Prosthodontists
> Median annual wage: $126,050
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 800
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 17.8%

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14. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
> Median annual wage: $127,820
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 75,700
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 1.1%

13. Petroleum engineers
> Median annual wage: $128,230
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 35,100
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 9.8%

12. Marketing managers
> Median annual wage: $131,180
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 194,300
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 9.4%

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11. Architectural and engineering managers
> Median annual wage: $134,730
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 182,100
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 2.0%

10. Computer and information systems managers
> Median annual wage: $135,800
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 348,500
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 15.4%

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9. Dentists, general
> Median annual wage: $153,900
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 129,000
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 18.0%

8. Nurse anesthetists
> Median annual wage: $160,270
> Typical education needed for entry: Master’s degree
> Total employment: 38,200
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 19.3%

7. Pediatricians, general
> Median annual wage: $168,990
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 34,800
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 10.3%

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6. Dentists, all other specialists
> Median annual wage: $173,000
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 6,700
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 8.5%

5. Chief executives
> Median annual wage: $181,210
> Typical education needed for entry: Bachelor’s degree
> Total employment: 343,400
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): -1.2%

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4. Family and general practitioners
> Median annual wage: $190,490
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 139,800
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 10.2%

3. Psychiatrists
> Median annual wage: $194,740
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 28,200
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 14.9%

2. Internists, general
> Median annual wage: $196,380
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 54,300
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 9.4%

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1. Physicians and surgeons, all other
> Median annual wage: $206,920
> Typical education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree
> Total employment: 347,200
> Employment growth projection (2014-2024): 14.9%

Detailed Findings & Methodology

While 22.5% of adult workers have a bachelor’s degree — the most common college degree — only about half of the 50 best-paying jobs require only a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, 17 of the highest-paying jobs, including the four highest paying occupations, require a doctorate or professional degree. Only 4.2% of  workers 25 or older hold such a degree.

Most of the top-paying jobs on this list are also growing. Employment in 45 of the 50 jobs on this list is expected to grow in the decade ending in 2024. The number of physician’s assistants jobs is expected to increase by 28.7%, while nurse practitioner positions will expand by 35.2%. Of the occupations where employment is expected to decline, air traffic controllers employment is projected to drop by 8.6%. This is also the only job included in this list that requires an associate degree.

To identify the highest paying jobs that typically require a college degree, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed annual median wage estimates for all occupations from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage data are from the May 2016 survey. Data concerning the typical education needed for each occupation came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2014 Employment Projections report. The percentages of workers 25 and older in each of these occupations who have less than a high school diploma, high school diploma or equivalent, some college but no degree, an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or a doctoral or professional degree also came from the BLS’ 2014 Employment Projections report. Total and projected employment for each occupation also came from this source. Full- and part-time occupations are included across all employment types, including federal, state, and local governments, as well as all private establishments. The Employment Projections report includes self-employed workers, while the OES excludes such workers.

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