Studying abroad can lead to lucrative career opportunities. Most of us think that studying abroad is about choosing a more advanced course with better facilities or selecting a course that can earn a handsome package after graduation.
How do you know which courses will give you the best return on investment?
Identifying the right courses is crucial to securing a high-paying job. One of the best-paying fields is STEM, which includes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
The STEM field is highly sought after in the job market. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest findings, prominent courses like mit ai course etc are expected to increase and be the highest paid. Here are some recommended STEM courses with top-paying job prospects:
1. Mechanical Engineering
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- What They Do: Design, develop, and test machines, parts, and manufacturing processes in various industries.
- Occupational Categories: Engineering services, machinery manufacturing, computer and electronic product manufacturing, R&D in physical, engineering, and life sciences, aerospace product manufacturing.
- Countries to Work In: US, UK, Canada
- Average Annual Salary: $83,590
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
2. Civil Engineering
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- What They Do: Design, build, supervise, and operate construction systems and projects in the public and private sectors, such as buildings, roads, airports, tunnels, and water and sewage systems.
- Areas of Employment: Engineering services, state government, local government, nonresidential building construction.
- Countries to Work In: Australia, US, UAE
- Average Annual Salary: $82,220
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
3. Actuarial Science
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- What They Do: Use advanced statistical and modeling techniques to evaluate risks in the insurance and finance fields; forecast costs and probabilities of events.
- Occupations: Internal auditors, assurance managers, financial auditors, audit managers.
- Areas of Employment: Finance, insurance, professional scientific and technological services.
- Countries to Work In: Australia, UK, New Zealand, US
- Salary Median: $97,000
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s in Actuarial Science
4. Biomedical Engineering
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- What They Do: Apply engineering skills in the medical field by designing, researching, and creating devices used in healthcare.
- Occupations: Biomedical engineer, biomedical technician, biomedical manager, clinical engineer, biomedical equipment technician (BMET).
- Areas of Employment: Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing, navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing, R&D in physical, engineering, and life sciences, hospitals, pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing.
- Countries to Work In: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, UK, Canada
- Average Annual Salary: $86,220
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering
5. Petroleum Engineering
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- What They Do: Work in various sub sectors, including completion, drilling, production, and reservoir, to extract oil and natural gas efficiently while considering profit, safety, and environmental impact.
- Occupations: Petroleum engineer, reservoir engineer, drilling engineer, production engineer, completion engineer.
- Areas of Expertise: Petroleum and coal product manufacturing, engineering services, oil and gas extraction.
- Countries to Work In: UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, US
- Average Annual Salary: $88,700
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering
6. Environmental Engineering
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- What They Do: Develop solutions to environmental issues using principles from engineering, soil science, and biology. Improve public health and control water and air pollution.
- Occupations: Environmental engineers, environmental technicians.
- Areas of Expertise: Engineering services, management, scientific, and technical consulting services, waste treatment, wastewater treatment, site remediation technology, pollution control technology.
- Countries to Work In: USA, Canada, Russia, Australia, UAE
- Average Annual Salary: $84,560
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering
7. Computer Network Engineering/Information Technology
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- What They Do: Plan, design, and implement computer networks such as extranets, local networks (LAN), and wide area networks.
- Occupations: Computer network architect, network security administrator, network architect, computer security specialist, systems administrator.
- Areas of Employment: Satellite telecommunications, wireless telecommunications carriers, computer systems design and related services.
- Countries to Work In: Australia, US, UK, Ireland
- Average Annual Salary: $100,240
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s in Computer Network Engineering, Information Technology, ms in computer science.
8. Cyber Security/Computer Science
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- What They Do: Protect computer systems and networks from cyber-attacks and data breaches.
- Occupations: Information security analyst, systems security administrator, cybersecurity analyst, firewall administrator, security architect, engineer, manager, consultant.
- Areas of Employment: Design and development of computer systems, information management for companies and enterprises, management consulting services, scientific and technological consulting services, depository credit intermediary.
- Countries to Work In: US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Israel
- Average Annual Salary: $90,120
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s in Cyber Security, Computer Science
9. Finance
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- What They Do: Provide financial advice to clients, including financial planning, retirement planning, investment strategies, budgeting, and addressing financial concerns.
- Occupations: Financial advisor, financial planner, financial investment advisor, portfolio manager, lending analyst, wealth strategist, personal banker.
- Areas of Employment: Banks, savings groups, financial investment companies, self-employment.
- Countries to Work In: Ireland, Luxembourg, Hungary, USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland
- Average Annual Salary: $89,160
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, Master’s in Finance, Online MBA for working professionals in Finance
10. Business Analytics
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- What They Do: Analyze data to make informed business decisions, improve operational efficiency, and identify market trends.
- Occupations: Business analyst, data analyst, management analyst, business intelligence analyst.
- Areas of Employment: Finance, marketing, operations, IT, consulting.
- Countries to Work In: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany
- Average Annual Salary: $85,260
- Type of Courses: Bachelor’s, ms in business analytics, data analytics programs
STEM-related jobs are still in high demand, both in developed and developing nations. The STEM sector is diverse and includes jobs such as data science courses, financial analyst, radiologist, ocean engineer, petroleum engineer, biochemist, mathematician, IT manager, accountant, mechanical engineer, and software developer.
