The highest paying occupations usually requiring a bachelor’s degree or more education were among those that commanded the top salaries in the workforce overall in 1998. The bachelor’s degree or more education group comprises 5 of 11 training categories identified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for classifying occupations by education level.

For many of these occupations, including materials engineer and aircraft pilot and flight engineer, a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for entry into the field. However, others—such as advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales manager—usually require that workers have experience in a related occupation in addition to a bachelor’s degree. Still others, including physician, dentist, and lawyer, require substantial additional education beyond a bachelor’s degree.

In addition to high earnings, these occupations are projected to have openings for thousands of new workers annually through 2008. The number of openings will vary by occupation, from more than 34,000 for computer engineers to fewer than 300 for petroleum engineers. Annual job openings are the result of an occupation’s growth and of the need to replace workers who retire or leave the occupation permanently for other reasons