15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors: 2015

(Ed note: Please check out the 2016 version of 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors on ThinkAdvisor.)

Students majoring in business can go a lot of different ways once they hit the job market. With college graduation season winding down, we thought it would be a good time to once again see which occupations pay well.

Using data from PayScale.com, we have listed the 15 best-paying jobs for business majors. The jobs are drawn from the site’s list of most popular jobs for business grads.

The most common area of study among the jobs is accounting. And according to a survey of alumni, accounting was the ninth most recommended major. Judging by the list below, it’s easy to understand why that’s the case.

We included the salary (including overtime and bonuses) for someone with a median amount of experience in each job. PayScale also rated each job by the percentage of those surveyed who found high meaning in their careers.

(Related: 30 Best Paying College Majors: 2016 and 30 Colleges for Best ROI: 2016)

Check out the 15 Best Paying Jobs for College Business Majors — 2015:

15. Payroll Manager

Median Mid-Career Pay: $70,100

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 25%

% With High Job Meaning: 46%

14. Senior Tax Accountant

Median Mid-Career Pay: $72,300

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 71%

% With High Job Meaning: 29%

13. Purchasing Manager

Median Mid-Career Pay: $74,500

Common Major: Business Administration

% Workers With Major: 19%

% With High Job Meaning: 37%

12. Assistant Controller

Median Mid-Career Pay: $75,900

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 59%

% With High Job Meaning: 42%

11. General Manager, Hotel

Median Mid-Career Pay: $76,200

Common Major: Hospitality Management

% Workers With Major: 15%

% With High Job Meaning: 56%

10. Certified Public Accountant

Median Mid-Career Pay: $79,800

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 73%

% With High Job Meaning: 35%

9. Senior Auditor

Median Mid-Career Pay: $80,100

Common Major: Accounting

% Workers With Major: 66%

% With High Job Meaning: 30%