Future LSU graduates can expect their salaries to be up to par with the rest of the nation and slightly better than other SEC schools, according to a university ranking Web site.PayScale.com ranks state universities by salary potential, top college majors that lead to high salaries and other career- and college-related rankings pertaining to undergraduate degrees.LSU is 27th on the “Top State Universities by Salary Potential” list out of 175 universities. Graduates report salaries which are compiled and ranked by the Web site’s operators. LSU is listed with a $46,900 starting median salary and an $87,800 mid-career median salary. The only SEC school ranking higher is the University of Florida with a starting salary of $47,000 and mid-career salary of $87,900.  LSU ranked 13th in salary potential compared to the 50 Flagship peer institutions. Peer institutions are defined as schools that “share a common goal of providing the highest level of education, research and outreach necessary to advance their state.”The Education and Salary Report used about 1.2 million unique user profiles for the ranking, said Steven Gottlieb, principal of communications for PayScale. Chemical engineering and computer engineering top the “College Majors That Lead to High Salaries” list with starting median salaries of $63,200 and $61,400, respectively. LSU’s Career Services also tracks recent graduate salaries. The median for chemical engineering and computer engineering is $70,000 and $71,000.Career Services gave student surveys to Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 University graduates and got a 72 percent response rate.Computer engineering received four responses and some degrees received only one response. Degrees that received fewer than three reports were withheld. Education and religion rank at the bottom on the Web site’s list with starting median salaries of $34,900 and $34,100. Career Service reports of secondary education and math degrees were slightly higher with median starting salaries of $39,000 and $42,000.The majority of students do not choose majors based on salary potential according to Sara Crow, Career Services communication manager. “A key message for students is that every situation is unique,” Crow said. “You should get to know your intended career in and out.” Crow recommends researching other jobs in the field, seeing the amount of hours per work week and gaining experience. —- Contact Erica Warner at [email protected]