7,215 new bachelor students will be welcomed to the University of Copenhagen in 2024.

How did the young people decide what to study?

An analysis from the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA) in 2021 showed that 62 per cent of future Danish students at that time placed a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ value on getting a job where they can make a positive difference.

When I was young I thought money was the most important thing in life, now that I’m old – I know it is!

Oscar Wilde

Most of the students stated that they chose their degree programme by academic interest (88 per cent) or the possibility of an exciting job (85 per cent).

Only 24 per cent were motivated by the possibility of a high income.

Maybe every fourth student had read the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, who put it this way: »When I was young I thought money was the most important thing in life, now that I’m old – I know it is!«

Either way, here is an overview for them, and for their curious fellow students.

So we have crunched the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) data for you. Which programmes lead to the highest wages?

The statistics are extracted from the Danish Ministry for Education and Science’s portal uddannelseszoom.dk.  Its underlying numbers come from Statistics Denmark and a large-scale questionnaire sent to all graduates called Danmarks Studieundersøgelse, with the latest numbers being uploaded recently.

The ranking below shows monthly salary (including pension) ten years after completion of the master’s degree programme.

READ ALSO: Not on the list? The full list of median salaries for University of Copenhagen programme graduates

Here are the median salaries on different programmes:

The top UCPH programme on our ranking will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 78,050 after ten years on the labour market. Newly minted graduates, as of their second working year will already earn a median of DKK 52,900 a month. Actuarial mathematics graduates typically work in insurance, banking and finance.

This year (2024) the UCPH programme in actuarial mathematics admitted 76 students, 75 of those were first priority applications.

The Economics programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 65,500 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 42,800. In 2024 the Economics programme at UCPH admitted 348 students, 298 of them were first priority applications.

The Computer Science programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 64,800 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 44,500. The Computer Science programme at UCPH admitted 207 new students this year. 163 of them were first priority applications.

The Pharmaceutical Sciences programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 62,600 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 36,800.

The Mathematics-Economics programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 61,200 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 48,700. In 2024, the Mathematics-Economics programme at UCPH admitted 86 students, 62 of them had first priority applications.

The Biotechnology programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 60,100 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 34,350. In 2024, the Biotechnology programme at UCPH admitted 76 students, 54 of them with first priority applications.

The Nanoscience and Technology programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 59,900 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 33,200. In 2024, the Nanoscience and Technology programme at UCPH admitted 24 students, 21 of them with first priority applications.

The Pharmacy programme will typically lead to a salary of DKK 59,200 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 42,800. In 2024, the Pharmacy programme at UCPH admitted 228 students, 124 of them with first priority applications.

The Medicine programme will typically lead to a salary of DKK 58,450 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 44,200. The University of Copenhagen has two Medicine programmes, one in Copenhagen, and one outside Copenhagen in the small town of Køge. In 2024, the Medicine programme at UCPH in Copenhagen admitted 546 students, 522 of them with first priority applications. The Medicine programme in Køge admitted 130 students in 2024, with 25 of them first priority applications.

The Odontology programme, which is also known as dentistry, will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 58,050 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 50,400. In 2024, the Odontology programme at UCPH admitted 120 students, 99 of them were first priority applications.

The Law programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 56,150 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 40,600. In 2024, the Law programme at UCPH admitted 878 students, 730 of them were first priority applications.

The Political Science programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 54,600 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 36,900. In 2024, the Political Science programme at UCPH admitted 300 students, 275 of them were first priority applications.

The Social Science programme will typically lead to a salary of DKK 54,600 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 35,700. In 2024, the Social Science programme at UCPH admitted 34 students, 17 of them were first priority applications.

The Chemistry programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 54,050 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 32,400. In 2024, the Chemistry programme at UCPH admitted 43 students, 34 of them were first priority applications.

The Food Science and Technology programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 53,400 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 38,800. In 2024, the Food Science and Technology programme at UCPH admitted 59 students, 49 of them were first priority applications.

The Human Biology programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 51,800 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 33,000.

The Mathematics programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 51,050 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 37,050. In 2024, the Mathematics programme at UCPH admitted 130 students, 109 of them were first priority applications.

The Physics programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 49,600 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 34,800. In 2024, the Physics programme at UCPH admitted 143 students. 135 of them were first priority applications.

The Health Science programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 49,600 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 39,600.

The Veterinary Medicine programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 49,400 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 37,700. In 2024, the Veterinary Medicine programme at UCPH admitted 186 students. 157 of them were first priority applications.

The Human Nutrition programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 49,400 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 32,650.

The Biochemistry programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 48,800 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 34,300. In 2024, the Biochemistry programme at UCPH admitted 114 students. 65 of them were first priority applications.

The German programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 48,000 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 31,350. In 2024, the German programme at UCPH admitted 28 students, 22 of them wer first priority applications.

The Geography programme will typically lead to a monthly salary of DKK 48,000 after ten years on the labour market. Median monthly salary for a newly graduated master’s student: DKK 34,350. In 2024, the Geography programme at UCPH admitted 90 students, 81 of them were first priority applications.