Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Soil and plant scientists
- Median annual wage: $99,890
- Median hourly wage: $48.02
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying jobs in Miami that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Miami, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $100,480
- Median hourly wage: $48.31
- Total employment: 2,160 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $100,670
- Median hourly wage: $48.40
- Total employment: 760 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $101,310
- Median hourly wage: $48.71
- Total employment: 470 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $102,020
- Median hourly wage: $49.05
- Total employment: 150 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,260
- Median hourly wage: $49.64
- Total employment: 7,510 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,000
- Median hourly wage: $50.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $104,060
- Median hourly wage: $50.03
- Total employment: 74,070 people (26.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,100
- Median hourly wage: $50.05
- Total employment: 1,510 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Atmospheric and space scientists
- Median annual wage: $104,180
- Median hourly wage: $50.09
- Total employment: 150 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $104,420
- Median hourly wage: $50.20
- Total employment: 980 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $104,750
- Median hourly wage: $50.36
- Total employment: 1,680 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $105,000
- Median hourly wage: $50.48
- Total employment: 12,800 people (4.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $105,270
- Median hourly wage: $50.61
- Total employment: 470 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $105,380
- Median hourly wage: $50.67
- Total employment: 140 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $105,510
- Median hourly wage: $50.73
- Total employment: 1,200 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $107,030
- Median hourly wage: $51.46
- Total employment: 700 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
THICHA SATAPITANON // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Financial risk specialists
- Median annual wage: $107,080
- Median hourly wage: $51.48
- Total employment: 1,160 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $107,260
- Median hourly wage: $51.57
- Total employment: 2,950 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $107,400
- Median hourly wage: $51.63
- Total employment: 3,490 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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GaudiLab // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $108,310
- Median hourly wage: $52.07
- Total employment: 7,180 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $110,240
- Median hourly wage: $53.00
- Total employment: 2,090 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $110,810
- Median hourly wage: $53.28
- Total employment: 6,830 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $114,770
- Median hourly wage: $55.18
- Total employment: 4,290 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $114,790
- Median hourly wage: $55.19
- Total employment: 12,020 people (4.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $117,480
- Median hourly wage: $56.48
- Total employment: 80 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
possohh // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Emergency management directors
- Median annual wage: $117,530
- Median hourly wage: $56.50
- Total employment: 170 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $118,820
- Median hourly wage: $57.13
- Total employment: 2,250 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $118,910
- Median hourly wage: $57.17
- Total employment: 530 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $121,960
- Median hourly wage: $58.64
- Total employment: 730 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $123,850
- Median hourly wage: $59.54
- Total employment: 260 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Lobanov // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Nuclear engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,540
- Median hourly wage: $59.88
- Total employment: 50 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,870
- Median hourly wage: $60.03
- Total employment: 640 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $125,930
- Median hourly wage: $60.54
- Total employment: 350 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $126,320
- Median hourly wage: $60.73
- Total employment: 1,200 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $126,490
- Median hourly wage: $60.81
- Total employment: 1,110 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $126,570
- Median hourly wage: $60.85
- Total employment: Not available
dokurose // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $128,320
- Median hourly wage: $61.69
- Total employment: 10,780 people (3.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $129,130
- Median hourly wage: $62.08
- Total employment: 3,150 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $129,840
- Median hourly wage: $62.43
- Total employment: 17,710 people (6.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kardasov Films // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Marine engineers and naval architects
- Median annual wage: $131,820
- Median hourly wage: $63.38
- Total employment: 210 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $133,170
- Median hourly wage: $64.03
- Total employment: 470 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $134,220
- Median hourly wage: $64.53
- Total employment: 6,450 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $134,790
- Median hourly wage: $64.81
- Total employment: 560 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $135,250
- Median hourly wage: $65.02
- Total employment: 1,740 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Mark_Kostich // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Medical dosimetrists
- Median annual wage: $146,050
- Median hourly wage: $70.21
- Total employment: Not available
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $154,470
- Median hourly wage: $74.27
- Total employment: 15,290 people (5.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $165,910
- Median hourly wage: $79.76
- Total employment: 8,840 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $168,160
- Median hourly wage: $80.84
- Total employment: 1,530 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 3,270 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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