BETHLEHEM, PA—Class of 2012 bachelor’s degree graduates are better paid than their Class of 2011 counterparts, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). 

In its September 2012 Salary Survey, NACE reports that the overall average salary for Class of 2012 bachelor’s degree graduates inched upward 1.7 percent to $44,259 from the overall average of $43,521 posted by the Class of 2011. 

“It’s important to note that, while the overall increase is small, all broad categories of majors have seen an increase,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. 

Among the broad categories, business and communications majors have the highest overall salary increase—2.2 percent. (See Figure 1.) Business majors from the Class of 2012 currently earn an average of $51,541, while their counterparts in communications earn $42,286. 

Overall, engineering majors posted a 1.9 percent increase to their average starting salary (now $60,639), followed by education majors, whose 1.6 percent jump brings their average starting salary to $39,080. 

The average starting salaries for computer sciences ($60,038), health sciences ($46,567), and humanities and social sciences ($36,824) majors all have increased by 1.4 percent. Meanwhile, math and sciences majors’ average starting salary has nudged up 0.8 percent to $42,355.