Some of the highest paid graduates have the lowest life satisfaction, while those with a deep understanding of Celtic languages and Viking exploits are the happiest, new research has found.
Analysis by PwC showed undergraduates aspiring to earn high salaries should pursue degrees in medicine, economics, or maths.
However, graduates with degrees in Celtic studies or sports science report being the most content with their lives, even though their wages placed them in the bottom ten earners.
PwC's analysis of 35 undergraduate degrees revealed that there was overlap between the degrees that led to the highest levels of satisfaction and those that paid well. The profession with the third-highest satisfaction rate and the best earning potential was medicine.
The study also found undergraduate degrees boost earnings by 57% on average relative to non-graduates, but the highest earnings premiums are in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Law, and Economics.
Many of the courses with the highest graduate wellbeing are vocational or medicine allied, which generally lead to employment in the public sector. This includes both courses with high earnings premiums such as medicine and dentistry, and relatively lower earnings like education and nursing.
