What is the number one college major for jobs and salary?

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Working with model tanks similar to those that would be in the water is just one of the many opportunities offered to students at Webb Institute, a private, full-tuition scholarship undergrad college on Long Island.

Students who complete the four-year program graduate with a dual bachelors degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

"The nice thing about the degree is we really have so many opportunities to do so many different things," Jackson Juska says. 

Juska is interested in offshore energy. He’s likely in luck because according to a recent study released by Bankrate.com, out of 162 college majors, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering is the number one major in the country for job availability and salary.

Those are two factors senior Isa Hill took into consideration when she applied.

"It’s the availability of the jobs and just the fact that you kind of have your choice of where you want to go with it," she said.

According to the report, the median income for those trained to build, design and maintain ships and marine vessels was $90,000 and less than 2-percent of the degree holders were unemployed.

"It’s a great time to be getting in the business," said Dean Matthew Werner.  "We can’t produce enough graduates to satisfy the demand."

The majority of the students accepted are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. When they graduate, students at Webb Institute have 146 credits as well as 8 months of paid practical work experience in the industry.

It’s an intense education but the rewards are definitely worth it.

According to the study, the least valuable degrees in terms of making a living were drama and theater arts. Overall, the median income for those with a bachelor’s degree was $55,000.