Graduates of finance and financial management programs are the top earners among Canadians with master’s degrees, a report from Statistics Canada says.
The agency examined median earnings five years after graduation for those who completed university studies from 2010 to 2012.
Men who graduated from finance and financial management services were top earners among those with master’s degrees, earning an average of $110,518 five years after graduation, the study found.
Male graduates of business administration, management and operations ($108,382), and accounting and related services ($102,718) were next.
Among women, those with master’s degrees in taxation had the highest wages ($96,416 in median earnings), according to the study. Finance and financial management graduates ($92,956) were next.
For graduates of bachelor programs, men with degrees in various engineering specialties were the top earners ($111,533) and those with pharmaceutical degrees were next ($106,055), the report said.
The top two were reversed for women: pharmaceutical degrees led to the highest median income five years after graduation ($94,177), followed by engineering ($89,680).
Arts and humanities graduates had the lowest incomes among those with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Doctoral graduates with the highest pay came from various programs, including business, health, engineering, social sciences and education.
“It should be emphasized that the rankings documented in these three studies might change in the coming years, as the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to alter the Canadian wage structure in ways that are yet to be determined,” the report said.