Best and worst subjects – and Australian universities – for graduate salaries

A graduate job finder says some companies are so desperate for graduates they are paying up to $250,000. Find out which uni subjects pay the most.

If you want to do a university course which gets you a job the fastest, choose something in health, IT or social work – and don’t bother with tourism or trendy subjects such as the environment.

The latest graduate data shows that those qualified in rehabilitation are the most employable, with teachers and nurses next, while those in tourism, hospitality, agriculture and environmental studies take the longest to get work.

Despite a shortage of psychologists, graduates in that field are also taking longer to get into the workforce, possibly because they are choosing to travel after studying, according to one employer in the industry.

And, for those who want the best bang for their buck, IT, computer science and quantitative analysis is paying the best, according to Seek, which has this year seen some graduates achieve starting salaries of $250,000.

Dan Purchas from GradConnection. Supplied

GradConnection, which is a jobs board for graduates on Seek, found that proprietary trading companies were desperate for the top graduates in computer science and software.

“Graduates are getting the biggest starting salaries I’ve ever seen right now,” general manager Ben Purchas said.

“They are getting up to $250,000 for their first job.

“These companies want the super switched on, top one to two per cent of graduates from a small pool of around 4-5000 graduating a year.”

On the flip side, Mr Purchas said generalist arts graduates studying subjects such as political science, fine arts, art history and philosophy are finding it the hardest to get jobs.

“There’s no obvious job for a philosopher,” he said. “They have to get quite creative to find a job.”

Meanwhile, the 2022 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal found that students from Queensland universities are earning more money than those from Victoria.

Queensland took out three of the top five places for students gaining the best salaries, with Central Queensland University graduates earning a medium-term salary of $83,000.

NSW took out third and fourth spots.

Meanwhile, Victorian universities performed poorly, with three institutions featuring in the bottom five for earnings post course.

The University of Melbourne was the second worst performer, with students earning on average $71,900 after finishing.

Graduates from Torrens University in South Australia got the lowest pay with $68,400, $14,600 less than the top university.

According to the survey, 91.5 per cent of graduates were in full-time work three years after completing their studies and were making a median salary of $80,000 a year.

Catriona Jackson, CEO of Universities Australia

They were also finding work faster and earning more than they were 12 months ago.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said university graduates were in high demand as Australia’s employment market continued its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These figures reinforce what we already know – that a university education sets people up for a fulfilling career with greater job security and higher pay,” Ms Jackson said.

Medium-term salaries 2021-2022 for undergraduates by universities

BEST

Central Queensland University

Queensland

$83000

University of Southern Queensland

Queensland

$83500

University of New South Wales

New South Wales

$84000

University of New England

New South Wales

$82000

James Cook University

Queensland

$82300

WORST

Torrens University

South Australia

$68400

The University of Melbourne

Victoria

$71900

Victoria University

Victoria

$73400

Federation University Australia

Victoria

$74200

Bond University

Queensland

$74500

Griffith University

Queensland

$74500