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According to the College Board, the cost of a college education has risen by almost 130 percent in the last 20 years. However, middle-class incomes have flatlined, making a college education an unattainable goal for many students. Those who take out loans as a means to pay their way may want to consider college majors that may better prepare them to find jobs in well-paying fields and offset the cost of those loans. According to salary data site PayScale, engineering majors are the majors to consider if salary is a priority.

* Petroleum engineering: Starting pay, $91,000; median pay, $155,000

* Chemical engineering: $64,500; $109,000.

* Electrical engineering: $61,300; $103,000

* Aerospace engineering: $60,700; $102,000

* Computer engineering: $61,800; $101,000

* Physics: $49,000; $101,000

* Applied mathematics: $52,600; $98,600

* Computer science: $56,600; $97,900

* Nuclear engineering: $65,000; $97,800