Although the pay increases were modest, they were prompted by continued hiring by pharmaceutical companies, as well as efforts by industry and academia to keep pace with inflation, according to several recruiting experts.
Bachelor's graduates received a median salary of $24,000, a 4.3 percent increase over the 1991 level. Joan Burrelli, senior research analyst with ACS in Washington, D.C., says that 1992 was the first time in three years that starting pay rose above $23,000. Median starting salaries for master's graduates eroded slightly, to $31,500, a 1.6 percent drop from the 1991 figure. However, Burrelli notes that the number of master's graduates hired was rather small, suggesting that salaries actually were flat.
Ph.D. graduates received $47,500, a 3.3 percent increase in median starting pay, a boost driven by pharmaceutical companies that are hiring chemists to fill a steady stream of research- related positions.
"Overall, demand is picking up," says Burrelli, ...
