College graduates earn almost one million and a half dollars over the course of a 40 year career on average, compared to about half that for those with only a high school diploma, a recent report from Pew Research found. But choosing a particular major may make you more likely to count yourself among the nation's wealthiest one percent.
Certain majors are more common among the nation's top earners, as seen in the infographic below from CollegeOnline.org. Those who majored in pharmaceuticals, chemical engineering and economics have the highest median earnings of majors represented in the one percent, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, while concentrations such as health, English literature and ethnic and civilization studies have the lowest.
Other majors, however, won't get you anywhere near the one percent, according to a 2011 survey by salary data site PayScale. Children and family studies majors, for example, are generally paid the least, with mid-career median pay at just $40,500.
See below the infographic from CollegeOnline.org to find out if your major boosts your likelihood of ending up in the one percent: