Minority college students who major in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) earn at least 25 percent more than their peers who study humanities or education, according to the results of a recent study. Those who took jobs related to their STEM degrees earned at least 50 percent more than their classmates who majored in humanities or education fields.

The findings was published in the June issue of Research in Higher Education.

Researchers followed more than 1,000 Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino and black students over nine years. The students were scholarship applicants for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which awards grants to highly motivated, low-income minority students.

While minority groups continue to be underrepresented in the STEM fields, the study's researchers believe this will change if students understand how much more money can be earned in those fields.

In 2008, 91 percent of Asian, 81 percent of White, 64 percent of Hispanic, 64 percent of Native American, and 62 percent of African American students graduated, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

More than 2 million Hispanics ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in college last year, making up a record 16.5 percent share of enrollments in that age group at two-year and four-year universities.

Lead author Tatiana Melguizo said the premiums for majoring in STEM fields are huge.

"We need to educate students that if they get a job in a STEM-related occupation, they have an even higher earning premium," Melguizo said. "Otherwise, students aren't reaping the economic benefit of all the hard work they went through as undergrads."

Overall, Latinos reported the highest average earnings after college - $42,180 annually - relative to the other minority groups. Black students reported earning $35,900 and Asian Pacific Islanders earned $40,261 (data in 2006 dollars).

Latinos majoring in STEM fields also reported the highest earnings among the groups studied: an average of $56,875 per year, higher than the reported average salaries of $39,365 for blacks and $47,530 for Asian Pacific Islanders.

Researchers said more research must be done to determine whether these discrepancies are attributable to different career preferences among racial/ethnic groups or employers' hiring decisions, as well as the role colleges and universities play in the career and occupational development of minority students.

Study co-author Gregory Wolniak said among the high achieving minority students we studied, Latinos not only reported the highest annual earnings overall, but also reported the highest annual earnings among STEM majors.

"Preliminary findings suggest this may partially be due to Latino students' ability to find jobs related to their major," Wolniak said. "These findings are encouraging signs that strengthening the pipeline of underrepresented students into STEM careers offers a viable solution to our nation's growing competitiveness problem in engineering and science fields."