Graduates from the Class of 2011 will have a 4.8 percent higher starting salary than their peers from the Class of 2010 did, a report released Wednesday found.

Starting salaries for 2011 graduates will average $51,018, compared to the average $48,661 2010 graduates received, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers annual Salary Survey.

The economic pick-up is good news for graduates who were among the hardest hit during the recession.

NACE Executive Director Marilyn Mackes said the increase is a “good indication” that the job market is becoming stronger for new college graduates.

Last year, the Class of 2010 earned a slightly lower starting salary than the class before it, although about 5 percent more graduates were able to find jobs, according to the 2010 NACE report.

Nearly all engineering disciplines saw average salary increases, most prevalently for petroleum engineering majors with an 8.1 percent increase to an $80,849 starting salary.

Most liberal arts disciplines saw an average increase, as well as social sciences. Psychology graduates saw a 23.8 increase.

Jeff Dagley, the coordinator for the GW Career Center, declined to comment on the survey’s results and directed all questions to the media relations department.