Survey: Math, science grads earn top dollar

A survey by the Department of Education suggests it may matter less whether your alma mater is public or private than what you study—math and science in particular earning recent graduates the most money.

The survey looked at the class of 2008 four years after they received their hard-earned bachelor's degrees during one of the nation's worst economic recessions. Overall, college grads reported lower unemployment rates compared to the national average at 6.7 percent. College grads from private four-year schools earned about the same as those from public four-year schools, about $50,000 a year.

But while a paltry 16 percent of students took home degrees in science, technology, engineering or math, those who did averaged $65,000 a year compared to $49,500 of graduates of other degrees.