The right university degree to study to make a fortune? Engineering

More than a fifth of the world's wealthiest people studied engineering at university. Photo: Andrew Quilty

Would-be university students set on making millions should sign up for extra engineering lectures, new analysis has shown.

More than a fifth of the world's wealthiest people studied the subject at university, accounting for almost twice as many billionaires' degrees as the next most popular choice.

A business education has helped 12 per cent of plutocrats amass their fortunes, while 9 per cent of the fattest cats studied an arts subject at university, more than those who specialised in typically tailored topics such as economics and finance.

Only 4 per cent of the Forbes Rich List studied maths and science. Photo: Jim Rice

Approved Index, a business-to-business buying platform, analysed the educational background of billionaires by examining Forbes' list of the richest 100 people in the world.

While just 4 per cent studied maths and science, the strong turnout for engineering graduates supports those campaigning for a better emphasis in schools on so-called STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths.

Engineering graduates are also the richest of their prosperous peers, with an average wealth of $US25.8 billion, compared with a net worth of $US24 billion for billionaires without a degree and $US22.5 billion for those who studied finance.

Bill Gates leads the list of famous billionaires to have never completed university. Photo: Getty Images

Girls who take just one A-level in this area could earn an extra £4,500 each year, a recent British report found, while those who do two STEM subjects could see their salaries increase by a third. The wage boost for boys is slightly lower, at 8 per cent.

The recent focus on STEM subjects means the billionaires of the future could look different to those of today. The number of students taking chemistry at A-level has risen by almost a fifth, while physics, biology and maths have increased by 15 per cent, 12 per cent and 8 per cent respectively.

An Oxbridge education bumps up a starting salary to the tune of £7,600, according to a recent report from the Sutton Trust, although another survey found that a degree from the London Business School is the most lucrative for British alumni.

However, the report suggests that multi-millionaires in the making might be better off forgoing university altogether, as almost a third of the wealthiest people in the world do not have degrees.

Bill Gates, the richest person in the world with a fortune of around $79bn, famously dropped out of Harvard, as did Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the youngest person in Forbes' top 100 with a $US33.4 billion net worth.

Amy Catlow, director at Approved Index, said: "These findings add a new dimension to the debate about the relevance and value of a degree today and suggest that in order to have a thriving and diverse economy, we need to encourage a varied range of specialisms."

There are 2,325 billionaires in the world with a combined net worth of $7.29 trillion, which is almost a tenth of global GDP.

Telegraph, London