Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com.

Criminal justice majors can be police officers or can join state and federal enforcement agencies.

If you're one of the millions of college and university students who are members of the Class of 2008, you may be pondering the first step on your career path. Despite an economic slowdown, there are still entry-level jobs in all career fields to be had.

What will your newly minted degree bring you? What are the starting salaries for recent college and university graduates? Using CBSalary.com, here are some of the most common majors, and what salary range a graduate entering the job market might expect to find.

Biology

Biology majors can use their degrees in a number of disciplines, including genetics, medical research and ecology. A general biologist starts out at $38,896, while a biochemist makes slightly more at $43,961.

Many students utilize their biology degree in conjunction with other degrees. A biology degree is often a preliminary step to medical school, or to other advanced degree.

A graduate degree is the key to landing jobs in microbiology, biotechnology, health care, and research and product development.

Beginning salary: Varies.

Business administration and management

Business administration is one of the more lucrative majors in terms of starting salary. Graduates with a degree in business administration and management are often on track to eventually assume leadership roles, including becoming managers, executives and CEOs. Watch what new graduates face »

They may initially lead a business unit or oversee the company's real estate and infrastructure. Graduates with this degree often decide to continue their education to get their MBA.

Beginning salary: $57,132.

Communications

Communications at its core is the study of how we understand and interpret visual and verbal messages. In some ways, communications majors have some of the same skill sets as English majors and often compete for similar jobs.

Careers for this major can include jobs like public relations, reporting and advertising. It can also be applied in other ways, like speech writing or public speaking.

Beginning salary: $30,921.

Computer science

A computer science degree can be used in a number of careers because of the variety of skills that graduates learn. Those skills range from developing software and analyzing systems to more advanced skills like working with language recognition programs and other types of artificial intelligence. Jobs in this field include network analyst, database administrator and Web developers.

Computer science is a field that continues to grow as people and companies expand their use of technology. Workers have the opportunity to break into the six-figure range later in their careers.

Beginning salary: $46,849.

Criminal justice

Graduates with a degree in criminal justice have a number of options for their career path. One initial choice is becoming a police officer. Graduates can also become join state or federal police agencies.

They can also become involved with other related areas like law, working as a legal assistant or court administrator, or work for a government agency like the FBI, CIA or Homeland Security.

Some students who combine a criminal justice degree with other disciplines like psychology and sociology. Those graduates can earn a substantially higher beginning salary.

Beginning salary: $38,182.

Elementary education

Education continues to be a popular major and teachers continue to be sought after throughout country. which explains why it is one of the few industries to add workers in 2008.

Despite the importance of the role that an elementary teacher has in a child's education, the beginning salary for a new teacher is the lowest of the 10 most popular majors.

Beginning salary: $29,414.

Marketing

The demand for marketing jobs can vary by industry and geography and can be very lucrative. Graduates with a marketing degree can specialize in marketing research, specialize in promotions or public relations, or focus on sales and marketing strategies.

They can also be involved in the creative side of marketing and utilize visual art or writing skills. Marketing jobs are available in a wide range of industries and even in local, state and federal government agencies.

Beginning salary: $59,471.

Nursing

Nursing is the largest industry in health care, with 25 million workers, and is another industry that is adding workers in 2008. Nurses are in high demand nearly everywhere in the country. Registered nurses, who provide a range of general care, are always in demand.

Graduates have a wide range of choices as to what kind of care they wish to provide. There are also jobs in home health care, as well as jobs where nurses can be educators and patient advocates.

Beginning salary: $41,173.

Psychology

The subject of psychology is a captivating, compelling topic for many students, and is the second most popular major. Graduates with this degree may work in entry-level jobs as school counselors or substance abuse counselors.

Many advanced jobs, like being a clinical psychologist, social psychologist, or developmental psychologist, require specialized advance degrees or a doctoral degree. Over a third of all psychologists enter private practice or have their own private research firms, but research and teaching jobs are also available at colleges and universities.

Beginning salary: $46,153.

Political science

Politics is far more than local, state, and federal elections. Political science majors can work in a number of roles, including working for political parties in administrative positions or as analysts.

Forty-one percent of all workers with this major are employed by government agencies. Some common career paths for political science majors include lobbyist and diplomat. They may also work in the media as a journalist in an editorial capacity or for nonprofit organizations.

Beginning salary: $36,368.

Other majors

Of course, actual beginning salaries for all majors are influenced by a number of external factors:

• Finance and economics are two of the most lucrative and popular majors for students, but the current economic slowdown has also slowed the demand for those workers.

• Engineering is a growing field that is always in need of skilled workers. There are dozens of specialized engineering career paths available. An engineer's beginning salary can vary widely depending on the graduate's specific area of study.

Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com.

Education is growing in 2008 -- the industry recently added more than 82,600 jobs.

Though the U.S. economy has softened this year -- headlines warn of mortgage woes, layoffs and escalating gas prices -- there are still jobs out there... you just have to know where to look.

We dug deep into Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find industries that are still adding jobs despite a rising national unemployment rate.

Health care

With a large segment of the population entering retirement age, health care remains strong adding more than 196,000 jobs so far this year. All sectors of the health-care industry experienced growth from January to July 2008.

Ambulatory health-care services (which include doctor's offices, outpatient care centers and home health services) experienced a gain of 106,800 jobs. Hospitals added 71,300 positions, while nursing and residential care facilities grew by 18,200 jobs.

Additionally, social assistance (like substance abuse and mental health counseling) added 18,400 jobs. Indeed, 30 percent of large health-care employers (50 or more employees) expected to expand staffs in the third quarter of 2008, according to CareerBuilder.com and USA Today's "Q3 2008 Job Forecast."

Government

The federal government, which employs more than 1.8 million civilian employees (except for the U.S. Postal Service), has added 33,000 jobs so far this year. At the state level, 39,000 new jobs were added; the local government, which added 124,000 jobs from January to July 2008, remains the strongest sector of the industry.

While government staffing levels are often subject to budget and administration changes, there will be a growth in specialized areas related to border and transportation security, emergency preparedness, public health and information analysis.

Education

Education is growing at a healthy clip in 2008. The industry added more than 82,600 jobs during the first seven months of the year. Many factors are contributing to the industry's surge.

The movement toward universal preschool and all-day kindergarten will require more preschool and kindergarten teachers. A necessity for more special education teachers is the result of a greater emphasis on classroom inclusion of disabled students. To meet the needs of special education and ESL students, classrooms will need additional teacher assistants.

More high school graduates will attend college and professionals will return to school to enhance or update skills therefore feeding the demand for post-secondary teachers.

Mining/oil and gas extraction

Although the U.S. crude oil production has declined by 20 percent in the last decade, employment in mining rose by about 36,600 workers in the first seven months of 2008.

Support activities for mining and oil and gas extraction accounted for most of the increase, adding 23,700 and 8,300 jobs respectively, but coal mining saw a small boost, too.

What's contributing to the rise in demand for some of today's most dangerous jobs? Three key factors: the U.S. government's goal to reduce dependence on foreign oil, new drilling techniques and technologies, and the prospect of opening federal lands to oil exploration.

Professional and business services

This category, with its vague name and broad reach, is comprised of several sectors, but three in particular, engineering, computer systems and consulting, experienced growth from January to July of this year. Architectural and engineering services added 10,000 new jobs, with a greater need for biomedical, civil, environmental and industrial engineers.

Because of the continued and rapid developments in technology, computer systems design and related services added 27,700 positions. Management and technical consulting, which added more than 30,000 jobs, is growing in part due to continuing complexity of business and growing demand for advice in all areas of business planning.

The "Q3 2008 Job Forecast" also found that, despite job losses in temporary staffing this year, 31 percent of hiring managers in the broader professional and business services category are expecting to add jobs in the third quarter.

Leisure and hospitality

While pocketbooks are hurting and experts everywhere are telling us to cut back on unneeded extras like daily lattes and eating meals out, we still love our take-out and it shows. While the overall leisure and hospitality industry is experiencing a decline (no doubt from said cutbacks on leisure activities), there were a couple of bright spots.

Food services and drinking places added more than 58,000 workers so far this year, while performing arts and spectator sports added almost 5,400 workers. And 26 percent of hospitality employers expected to expand staffs in the third quarter of this year, according to the "Q3 2008 Job Forecast."

Our analysis? We'll forego vacation -- as seen in the employment decline at accommodations, museums, historical sites and zoos -- but we can't let go of our pizza or baseball just yet.

Bottom line: Despite the lagging economy, there are jobs available across all categories, whether from industry growth, skilled worker shortages or turnover. You just need to know where to look and prepare for a longer job hunt.

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