Engineering, Accounting Firms Among Top Employers of Class of 2008 College Graduates

February 27, 2008

Engineering services and accounting firms are among the employers showing the most interest in this year’s crop of new college graduates, according to the Winter 2008 issue of Salary Survey, a quarterly report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

“We are also seeing a lot of interest from consulting, financial services, retail and petroleum products companies,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

In many cases, these employers also offer substantial starting salaries to their new college graduate hires.

“For example, the average yearly salary offer from petroleum manufacturers is more than $59,000, and engineering firms are extending an average offer that exceeds $56,000,” says Mackes. (See Figure 1.)

Not surprisingly, engineering services employers showed most interest in graduates with engineering degrees, notably mechanical, electrical, civil, and chemical engineering, as well as those with computer science degrees. Other top employers, however, expressed interest in graduates in a variety of disciplines.

“Consulting employers and retailers both made offers to a wide range of graduates,” says Mackes. “In many cases, their opportunities are not dependent on a specific degree. For example, retailers showed most interest in business-related degrees, but also made offers to graduates with degrees in liberal arts and science.”

Figure 1: Top employers for 2007-08 new college graduates*

* Source: Winter 2008 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers. Data are for bachelor’s degree candidates and is based on the number of offers reported.