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Salaries dip
for college grads-but not in all fields
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The slowing economy meant lower starting salaries for many of this year抯 college graduates, according to surveys by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. But salaries for bachelor抯 degree recipients in some majors, such as chemical engineering, have held steady. And salaries in others, such as history and performing arts, have risen. Even with decreases, 2002 starting salaries for those in several fields remain higher than they were in 2000. (See below.)
For more information about the
Association抯 surveys, write NACE, 62 Highland Ave.,
Bethlehem, PA 18017; call 1 (800) 544-5272; or visit www.jobweb.org.
Regardless of declines in 2002 starting
salaries, however, college graduates usually earn more than
their non-college-educated counterparts. For more details
about earnings for college graduates, see "College at
work: Outlook and earnings for college graduates"
elsewhere in this issue of the OOQ.
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| Selected bachelor抯 degree majors |
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Average 2002 starting salary, September through July |
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Change from 2001 starting salary, September through July (percent) |
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| Accounting |
$ |
39,768 |
+0.9 |
| Business administration |
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36,429 |
�3 |
| Chemical engineering |
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51,417 |
�7 |
| Civil engineering |
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41,317 |
+1.7 |
| Computer engineering |
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51,587 |
�3 |
| Computer science |
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49,596 |
�9 |
| Electrical engineering |
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50,123 |
�4 |
| English |
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28,488 |
�6 |
| History |
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31,201 |
+2.7 |
| Logistics or materials management |
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39,407 |
�1 |
| Management
information systems |
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42,705 |
�3 |
| Nursing |
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38,459 |
+4.8 |
| Political science |
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28,397 |
�.4 |
| Psychology |
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26,456 |
�.8 |
| Visual and
performing arts |
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27,575 |
+4.5 |
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| Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers
Salary Survey Summer Edition |
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Federal
Government Scholarships
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Need cash for college?
You probably already know that the Federal Government offers
financial aid through the U.S. Department of Education. But
there are many other sources of Federal funds, especially
for students interested in working for Uncle Sam.
The best way to uncover money for school is to contact
Government agencies that are related to the subject you are
studying. A few examples follow:
 The National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship
program offers up to $20,000 annually to low-income or
disadvantaged students studying biomedical, behavioral, or
health science. Recipients work for the Institutes each
summer and after graduation for 1 year for each year they
received money. Contact: National Institutes of Health,
Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship, 2 Center Dr., MSC
0230, Bethesda, MD 20892-0230; 1 (800) 528-7689;
ugsp.info.nih.gov/default.htm.
Students of veterinary science and biomedicine may apply for
$5,000 undergraduate or $10,000 graduate scholarships from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Recipients work for the
Federal Government during summers while they are in school
and after graduation for 1 year for each year they received
aid. Contact: Saul T. Wilson, Jr. Scholarship, USDA, APHIS,
Human Resources, 4700 River Rd., Unit 21, Riverdale, MD
20737-1230.
The National Ocean Service offers up to $32,000 annually
to graduate students梡articularly women and
minorities梬orking toward advanced degrees in
oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archeology.
This award, the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship, has no
service requirement. Contact: Dr. Nancy Foster
Scholarship Program, Office of Assistant Administration,
13th Floor, National Ocean Service, 1305 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 713-3074;
fosterscholars.noaa.gov/welcome.html.
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Undergraduates majoring in languages, mathematics,
engineering, computer science, political science, or
history can apply for tuition, expenses, and a
year-round salary from the National Security Agency.
Recipients work for the agency during the summers and
after graduation for 1� times the length of study.
Contact: NSA, Attn: Undergraduate Training Program,
Office of Recruitment and Hiring, Suite 6779, 9800
Savage Rd., Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755-6779; 1 (800)
669-0703; www.nsa.gov/programs/employ.
The Truman Scholarship is available to college juniors
who are studying nearly any subject and who plan to
attend graduate school and work in government,
education, or public-service related nonprofits.
Scholarship recipients get $3,000 for their final
undergraduate year and $27,000 toward graduate
education. Contact: Truman Scholarship Foundation, 712
Jackson Pl. NW., Washington, DC 20006; (202) 395-4831; www.truman.gov.
Those planning to teach middle or high school can apply for the James Madison Memorial Fellowship, established by Congress. The fellowship offers up to $24,000 toward a master抯 degree in government, history, or education. Recipients teach government or history for 1 year for each year of the fellowship. Contact: James Madison Foundation, PO Box 4030, 2201 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, Iowa 52243-4030; 1 (800) 525-6928;
www.jamesmadison.com.
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High school students who serve their communities can
qualify for $1,000 Presidential Freedom Scholarships.
One-half of the money comes from the Corporation for
National and Community Service; the other half is
gathered by the student抯 high school from local
sources. To qualify, students must write a brief essay
and must have volunteered at least 1,000 hours in the
year preceding application. Contact: Presidential
Freedom Scholarships, 1150 Connecticut Ave. NW., Suite
1100, Washington, DC 20036; 1 (866) 291-7700 (toll free)
or (202) 742-5390; www.nationalservice.org/scholarships.
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Technology
in Special education
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If you抮e planning to teach the disabled, you抣l need to be technologically savvy. Use of assistive technology梬hich includes screen readers for blind students to navigate the Internet and dictating software for students unable to use their hands梙as been increasing, and special education teachers help students with these devices. Currently, the availability of assistive technology varies, depending on school budgets and teacher training.
In 1997, Congress passed a law
mandating that assistive technology be considered for every
student who receives special education services. Last year,
the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act established a
national electronic file format for textbooks; this will
ease the conversion of textbooks to Braille, digital, or
other versions. And this year, the U.S. Department of
Education is offering grants for programs that train special
education teachers to use technology.
Learning to use assistive
technology is only part of what special educators do.
Special education teachers, whose employment BLS projects
will increase faster than the average for all occupations
through 2010, perform a variety of other duties tailored to
their students� needs. To find out more about the
occupation抯 job duties, training requirements, outlook,
and earnings, consult the 2002-03 Occupational
Outlook Handbook. It is available in most libraries and
career counselors� offices and on the Internet; the link
for special education teachers is www.bls.gov/oco/ocos070.htm.
More information also is available
on assistive technology in special education. Research
summaries from the Education Resources Information Center
describe current technology and its effects on student
success. For a copy of these summaries and information on
training grants, call the Clearinghouse on Disabilities and
Gifted Education at 1 (800) 328-0272 or visit online at www.ericec.org.
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Work at
home
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Homework doesn抰 always end after graduation, according to statistics from a survey by BLS and the Census Bureau. In May 2001, more than 19 million people� percent of all workers梔id some work at home at least once a week and as part of their primary job.
Half of these workers took work
home informally, on an unpaid basis; 17 percent had
formal, paid arrangements with their employers; and 30
percent were self-employed.
Of those with formal arrangements, 1 in 6, or about
half a million workers, logged 35 or more hours at home.
Which occupations were the most
likely to include home work? Teachers topped the list,
with about 60 percent of college and university teachers
and 52 percent of other teachers doing work at home.
Lawyers and judges came next, with 46 percent. Sales
representatives also often worked at home: about 40
percent of nonretail sales representatives and 38 percent
of finance sales representatives did some work at home. Of
administrative support workers, financial records
processing workers were most likely to work at home, with
about 14 percent doing so.
To learn more about the survey,
including the demographics of home workers and reasons for
working from home, call (202) 691-6378 or see an online
summary at www.bls.gov/cps.
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