Best Value Degrees

Which majors cracked our Best Value list? Are you thinking of going back to school and wondering which degrees have the potential to offer the best value?

#1 Best Value Degree
Business Administration

It's not the most specialized or even the most lucrative bachelor's degree you can earn. But when it comes to overall value, business administration finishes first in our book for its impressive combo of career prospects and average earning potential.

The average salary offer for business administration grads leapt 11.3 percent this past year to $46,832, according to NACE's Spring 2011 Salary Survey. In terms of job offers, business administration majors finished a close second to accounting students, according to NACE. But when it comes to overall value, business administration beats out accounting because of the career flexibility the degree could potentially provide.

#2 Best Value Degree
Accounting

A bachelor's degree in accounting can provide great value for people who are looking for a career-minded business education that's linked to solid average earning potential and career prospects.

Accounting finishes just behind business administration in overall popularity yet places first when it comes to job offers, according to NACE's Spring 2011 Salary Survey. Looking forward, employment prospects for accountants are projected to rise 22 percent through 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

#3 Best Value Degree
Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineers with a bachelor's degree and no higher make $80,000 per year on average, according to the Georgetown study. That's real value when you take into consideration that graduate school isn't factoring into the equation. As a way of comparison, the average starting income for MBA grads, which comes from a 2010 study by the Graduate Management Admission Council, is $78,820.

Mechanical engineering graduates led the way in job offers in 2011 among engineers with a bachelor's degree and no higher, according to NACE's Spring 2011 Salary Survey. What's more, the Georgetown study found that mechanical engineering grads enjoy a 95 percent full-time employment rate.

#4 Best Value Degree
Medical Assisting Services

Health care is one of the hotter industries around these days and medical assisting is a hot degree choice.

According to the Georgetown study, 99 percent of graduates who majored in medical assisting services are employed full or part-time. The future looks bright as well, with job prospects for medical assistants expected to rise 34 percent through 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

#5 Best Value Degree
Health and Medical Administrative Services

Majoring in health care and medical administration can be worth it if you're looking for a degree that matches up with an industry on the rise. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the health care industry features 10 of the 20 fastest growing jobs in the country.

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