Science tops entry level salary study

GOVERNMENT efforts to bolster wavering interest among teenagers in science and engineering may be boosted by a survey showing starting salaries in these sectors are the highest.

Although there was a 6% increase in the popularity of science degree courses among applicants for college courses beginning this autumn, the numbers seeking entry to engineering courses fell by 5.7%.

The research, published by Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin yesterday, shows graduates in medicine and healthcare are among the best paid, with 75% of those with a primary degree in dentistry and 68% of paramedical graduates earning more than €33,000 in their first year.