NEWS

PayScale.com ranks Louisiana Tech No. 1 in the state in starting salaries for graduates

Sep 28, 2012 | General News

Tech also ranked in the top 15 of public and private schools in the Central South region —
PayScale.com released its 2012-2013 College Salary Report Thursday and has ranked Louisiana Tech University No. 1 among Louisiana’s public and private universities in starting salaries for recent graduates.
The report shows that Louisiana Tech graduates with a bachelor’s degree, but no higher degree, and with two years of work experience, earn a state-best average of $45,900 per year.  LSU was second in the state with $44,100 and Tulane University was third with $43,800.
Louisiana Tech also ranked No. 15 in the Central South region, which includes public and private institutions from Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
“I’m delighted that our university continues to receive national recognition in areas that are so important to the students we are recruiting and the graduates we are producing,” said Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau.  “Good students want to come to a university that provides them with the skills and experiences needed to be successful.  The faculty and staff at Louisiana Tech understand this and are continuing to meet and exceed these student expectations.”
In addition to its starting salary ranking for graduates, Louisiana Tech ranks second in the state among public universities for mid-career salaries with graduates earning an average of $79,800 per year.  Mid-career earners are defined by PayScale.com as those possessing a bachelor’s, but no higher degree, with 15 years of work experience.  Among all of the Central South region institutions, Tech ranks No. 22.
According to PayScale.com, the College Salary Report includes 1,058 schools this year (up from 1,003 last year), which is representative of more than 80 percent of all enrolled bachelor’s degree candidates in the U.S., and 130 majors (up from 120 last year).  The report, which analyzes the company’s database of more than 35 million unique compensation profiles, provides a critical perspective on the relationship between college selection and both starting and mid-career salaries.
“Given that the economy isn’t roaring back and student debt continues to spiral out of control, it is imperative that future college students educate themselves on the earnings they can expect after graduation,” said Katie Bardaro, lead economist at PayScale.
The PayScale.com rankings come on the heels of Louisiana Tech’s Tier One National Universities ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 Best Colleges Guide and a ranking in the nation’s Top 25 for affordability, for both in-state and out-of-state students, by Newsweek and The Daily Beast.