The major you choose in college can make a huge difference in the amount of money you’ll earn over your lifetime.

Jason Russell writes at the Washington Examiner.

Your college major matters more than the degree itself

The government spends billions of dollars a year sending students to college to make a better life for themselves, but it does little to shepherd students toward what is arguably even more important: picking a degree that will ensure a large return on their expensive college investment.

Over the course of a career, college graduates earn $1 million more than high school graduates on average. But the highest-paying majors earn $3.4 million than the lowest-paying ones, according to a new report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

In summary, a college degree helps students earn more, but it’s even more helpful when students pick the right major. Once a degree is completed, graduates still need to work hard to command a high salary, and a graduate degree might not be all that helpful.

For example, a Petroleum Engineering major who earns the median salary in that major for 40 years will make $5.4 million over the course of his or her career. Art History majors will earn $2 million over a 40-year career at median salary.

The study also found that the salary benefits of a graduate degree depend on the field of study. For example, a graduate degree in health and medical preparatory programs raises the median salary from $54,000 to $128,000 a year. In contrast, a graduate degree in architectural engineering raises the median salary by only $1,000 a year.