Starting salaries for computer science and engineering graduates have decreased even as demand for those graduates remains relatively high, according to the Spring 2002 issue of Salary Survey.
Computer science grads, who remain among the most sought after graduates, have experienced a 3.6 decrease in their salary offers. They now average $50,352. Many of their offers have been for software design positions that average $54,922 (9 percent higher than their overall average). Computer systems design firms, government agencies, and aerospace employers have shown the most interest in them. The economy has been less kind to their counterparts in information sciences and systems. Their average offer now stands at $41,414, a decrease of 7.4 percent over last year at this time.
Electrical engineering graduates have posted a 3.5 percent decrease in their salary offers, dropping their average to $50,387. Design engineering, hardware design and development, power systems engineering, and systems engineering account for a number of their job offerings
The National Association of Colleges and Employers' Salary Survey is a quarterly report of starting salary offers to new college graduates in 70 disciplines at the bachelor's degree level. The survey compiles data from college and university career services offices nationwide. NACE's Press Release for the report can be found here.