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The median annual full-time pay for those with social science PhDs was ?46,000 compared with ?38,000 for the biological sciences, according to data presented in factsheets published by Research Councils UK.

Graduates with a PhD in the physical sciences and engineering went on to earn ?40,000, which is the same amount as those with PhDs in the arts and humanities. But people with a doctorate in the biomedical sciences earned slightly more at ?41,644.

The median salary across all doctorates was ?40,700, according to the report The Impact of Doctoral Careers: Overview, which accompanies the factsheets. The results come from an online survey of 1,839 holders of doctorates who graduated between 2003-04 and 2005-06.

The survey found that seven to nine years after graduation those working in finance, business, IT and law earned the most with a median annual wage of ?60,000. The median salary for those employed in higher education was ?40,000.

holly.else@tesglobal.com