Engineers ranked with accounting and the retail/wholesale trade at the top of a list of fields hiring bachelor’s degree graduates from the class of 2010, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). According to results of the poll, engineering firms focused on mechanical engineering and electrical engineering graduates.

As reported in the Spring 2010 issue of NACE’s Salary Survey, accounting services employers offered the largest number of offers to new college graduates, followed by engineering services firms, and retail and wholesale trade employers. 

“Although data are limited at this time of year, the results are consistent with what we have seen in the past,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Accounting and engineering organizations historically have been among the most active in terms of recruiting and hiring new college graduates.” 

According to the survey, accounting services firms extended the majority of their offers to accounting, logistics and materials management, and finance graduates. Meanwhile, engineering services firms were hiring primarily mechanical engineering and electrical engineering graduates, and retailers and wholesalers were most interested in business administration, management and marketing graduates.

Engineering graduates were offered the highest starting salaries, the survey said. The average salary for engineering grads entering the field is $56,367, followed by accounting graduates with $50,402, and financial services graduates with an average starting offer of $49,703.

In its 2010 Salary Survey, the association asked students about their job search, career plans, and other employment-related issues. More than 31,470 students from more than 400 colleges and universities throughout the United States took part in the poll, which was from February through April of this year. More than 13,000 of those surveyed were graduating seniors.

NACE said it will continue to monitor developments in salary offers to class of 2010 graduates in future issues of its Salary Survey, which will be published in July and September.