Where will your degree land you?

According to statistics, computer scientists from Oxford University receive the biggest pay packets after graduating, earning an average of £43895 six months after leaving university.

Graduates in computer science from Imperial College London and Cambridge also feature in the top 10 earnings and graduate prospects.

The bottom five graduate earners include drama, music and art earning £13091 at highest. The lowest earners are on just £11963.

“Computers are the future and computer science courses command a salary premium,” agreed Professor Alan Smithers of Buckingham University.

Dylan Lewis, University of Manchester graduate in Computer Science, says “my degree has given me a broad understanding of the field and practical skills that will be invaluable as I move into the industry.

“There are not many degrees that I know of that offer such a wide breadth of applicable knowledge to today’s jobs.”

Figures also show that there is a significant difference in pay depending on which university students attend. Graduates in accounting and finance from Huddersfield received an average of £16335 whereas students from the same subject at Bath earned £29588.

However, faith should not be lost in arts subjects as Joanna Harris, co-founder of the Manchester student branch of Arts Emergency says; “Arts Emergency Manchester came about as a reaction to the increasing marketisation of higher education. Education should be a right for all, not a preserve of the privileged.

“We want to show that the arts should not be viewed as luxuries that only few can afford to study. These subjects are intrinsically important in their encouragement of critical and analytical thinking, and allow students invaluable insight into society and the world. The idea that arts and humanities subjects do not lead to jobs is a myth.”