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With a projected overall average salary of $94,212, computer sciences graduates are expected to be the top earners among Class of 2026 master’s degree grads, according to results of NACE’s Winter 2026 Salary Survey report.
Their projected salary represents an increase of 10.9% over last year’s average of $84,960. This large increase comes in contrast to last year’s small decrease of -0.5%. (See Figure 1.)
Class of 2026 engineering majors have a salary projection of $92,873, despite the fact that their average is 1.3% lower than last year’s average of $94,086. The good news, however, is that last year’s average grew 12.5% compared to the average salary for these majors from the Class of 2024.
Meanwhile, the average salary projection for business degree graduates at the master’s degree level shows a double-digit increase, rising 11.5% from $77,632 last year to $86,563. This follows an average increase of just 3.1% for last year’s Class of 2025 business graduates.
The Winter 2026 Salary Survey report contains annual salary projections for Class of 2026 college graduates. The figures reported are for base salaries only and do not include bonuses, commissions, fringe benefits, or overtime rates. The report provides the detailed salary projections by academic major and degree level, along with breakouts by both industry and geographic region. Data contained in the report were obtained by surveying NACE employer members from October 8, 2025, through November 30, 2025. A total of 150 surveys were returned—a 20.3% response rate. NACE members can access the full report in MyNACE.
