The class of 2015 can look forward to more money in their first paychecks and more job openings than last year's graduates saw. Multiple surveys paint a better picture for this year's crop of graduates in terms of both starting pay and demand for workers.

At least 26% of employers in a CareerBuilder survey say they will pay new college grads at least $50,000 their first year out of school.  Engineering and computer science degrees lead the pack with each expected to draw  a starting salary above $60,000 in a survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The survey indicates that a graduate with a bachelors degree in petroleum engineering will earn the most straight out of school — $80,600 on average.

That kind of demand is showing up in other disciplines as more recruiters show up on college campuses around the country this spring.

Overall, companies are expected to increase their hiring of college grads by 16% this year over last year based on a survey last fall by Michigan State University's Collegiate Employment Research Institute, according to AP.

"Even arts and humanities are making a comeback," Institute Director Philip Gardner told AP.

And even though humanities degrees are at the lowest end of the average pay scale in the NACE survey, the average starting pay for a graduate is still $45,042 a year — $2,000 more than the average compensation for all workers in the U.S. just two years ago.

Photo by Herkie (CC) / Story tip from carilyn

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