Which graduate degrees and majors will make you rich: most job offers and highest potential salaries?

Should graduate students major in communications, business, computer science, education, engineering or some other niche in order to snare the top prize?

Today i have compiled a list of graduate degrees and majors that can lead to the highest potential salaries and most job offers. Your choice of major can have a big impact on your post-graduation earnings.

The April 2013 Salary Survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) looks at the starting salaries for graduates who have a degree in specific areas of study.

Unsurprisingly, majors in Business, engineering, computer-related fields led to the highest earning potential, while majors in the Humanities & Social Sciences, Health Sciences and math led to lower salaries. So which Graduate Degrees and Majors will make you rich?

#8 HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

2013 Average Salary: $37,058
2012 Average Salary: $36,371
Percent Change: 1.9%
The Tipping Point: Humanities and social sciences majors posted a small increase to their overall average starting salary; their average salary rose 1.9 percent to $37,058. Some of the individual disciplines, however, fared better: English majors, for example, posted a 3.4 percent increase for an average salary of $39,800, while sociology majors gained a whopping 12.1 percent for an average of $37,100.

#7 EDUCATION

2013 Average Salary: $40,480
2012 Average Salary: $38,524
Percent Change: 5.1%
The Tipping Point: The average salary to education majors topped $40,000, as it increased 5.1 percent to $40,480. Those earning bachelor’s degrees in special education fared best in this group, with an average starting salary of $46,100.

#6 MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCES

2013 Average Salary: $42,724
2012 Average Salary: $41,430
Percent Change: 3.1%
The Tipping Point: Starting salaries for math and sciences graduates rose a modest 3.1%, with the overall average salary currently standing at $42,724. Math majors saw just a 1.8 percent increase to their overall average, making it $49,700, but chemistry majors fared better with a larger increase of 3.6 percent, bringing their overall average salary to $46,300.

#5 COMMUNICATIONS

2013 Average Salary: $43,145
2012 Average Salary: $41,550
Percent Change: 3.8%
The Tipping Point: Salaries for those in the communications disciplines rose 3.8 percent, bringing their overall average salary to $43,145.

#4 Health Sciences

2013 Average Salary: $49,713
2012 Average Salary: $45,442
Percent Change: 9.4%
The Tipping Point: While engineering students are the highest-paid, students majoring in the health sciences saw the largest overall increase to their average starting salaries, which bumped up 9.4 percent to $49,713.

#3 BUSINESS

2013 Average Salary: $54,234
2012 Average Salary: $50,633
Percent Change: 7.1%
The Tipping Point: The business fields saw their overall average salary rise 7.1 percent from $50,633 to $54,234. That large increase was driven primarily by double-digit increases for three majors: finance, hospitality services management, and international business.

#2 COMPUTER SCIENCES

2013 Average Salary: $59,977
2012 Average Salary: $57,529
Percent Change: 4.3%
The Tipping Point: Graduates earning degrees in computer-related fields saw their average salaries increase 4.3 percent. The overall average salary now stands at $59,977.

#1 ENGINEERING

2013 Average Salary: $62,535
2012 Average Salary: $60,151
Percent Change: 4.0%
The Tipping Point: The overall average salary for engineering graduates rose 4 percent to $62,535, making them the highestpaid group of majors.