Source: National Center for College and University Admissions

Medicine, music, law, nursing and art are the five most chosen career paths among students, according to data from the National Center for College and University Admissions for fall 2008.

These five career paths top a list of 20 compiled by the center. The center surveys more than 5 million students annually about their post-college plans.

Experts in the top five career paths weigh in on what, realistically, students pursuing livelihoods in these lines of work can expect to make when they graduate and why their particular profession matters.

1. Medical Physician

Monetarily Speaking: According to the Medical Group Management Association, median compensation for medical physicians who have worked for fewer than two years in their specialty ranges from $132,000 to $259,000. Medical physicians who have worked more than one year in their specialty make anywhere from $156,000 to $321,000.

But More than the Money: Money shouldn’t be the only motivating factor in pursuing a career in medicine, premedical advisor Paul Crosby said.

Crosby said the work ethic necessary to complete a premedical course load was a much better predictor of the ability to become a physician than potential income.

Why Be a Medical Physician: “Most of us want to help others, to solve problems, and to make our parents proud,” Crosby said. “And becoming a physician can also feed desires for personal accomplishment, higher learning, respect, prestige, authority, and, admittedly, money.”

2. Music

Monetarily Speaking: Because there are so many careers in music — ranging from singer to instrumentalist to instructor or Broadway performer — pinning down an average salary for a beginning career in music is nearly impossible, said Mark Ferrell, associate professor of music and dance. Careers in music could range from minimum wage to six figures per performance, he said.

“No matter what, though, I know of no professional musician who is in it for the money,” Ferrell said. “That would be insane. The life is too challenging to do it simply for monetary rewards.”

Why Choose a Career in Music: “My best guess would be that if you love to do something, anything, a dream come true would be to make a living actually doing that something,” Ferrell said. “That’s my story anyway — and from talking to other musicians I think it’s true for most, at least on some level.”

3. Lawyer/Legal Services

Monetarily Speaking: Todd Rogers, assistant dean for career services at the KU School of Law, said the most recent data from the National Association for Law Placement showed the average salary of 2007 KU School of Law graduates was $62,813.

If You Pass the Bar: KU graduates who had to pass a bar exam for their job earned a slightly higher average of $64,869.

Private versus Public: KU School of Law graduates who entered a private practice of law made more money annually than their public sector counterparts. Those in private practice made an average of $73,192 and those in the public sector averaged $45,338.

4. Nursing/Health Care

Monetarily Speaking: Last year, KU School of Nursing graduates reported starting salaries at around $45,000 per year, said Rita Clifford, associate dean of student affairs at the School of Nursing. Salaries vary depending on geographic area — for example, new graduate nurses in California make about $83,000 per year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual earnings for registered nurses in 2006 was $57,280.

An In-Demand Profession: Despite the nation’s economic struggles, it is a profession that will be needed in the foreseeable future, Clifford said.

“In fact, there will be a shortage of nurses in the future which will allow nurses to get work in almost any part of the country and in a variety of settings,” Clifford said.

Why Be a Nurse: “It is a great way to combine an interest in science with the desire to help people,” Clifford said. “It is interesting, challenging, and never dull. It is wonderful to be able to see the results of your efforts with patients and their families. There are, of course, difficult situations but, even in most of those, you can see how you have impacted patients and families.”

5. Art

Monetarily Speaking: With such a broad range of careers — careers ranging from working in a gallery or a museum to painting or sculpting to teaching art — nailing down an exact average salary is impossible, said Matthew Burke, assistant professor of art.

“The field is too varied, and the job one may have after a college education in art may not even be in art,” Burke said. “One may work as an office assistant, for example, and paint at night.”

Anything Goes: Dawn Marie Guernsey, professor of art, said some art careers had no income possibilities and others had high incomes.

“A degree in art is really a degree in creative thinking and productivity,” Guernsey said. “It is a good preparation for nearly anything. And incomes are just as varied.”

— — Edited by Melissa Johnson