How much money do University of California Santa Barbara graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $39,500 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $59,000 on average.
In terms of specific areas of study, the following is a ranking of degree programs by the median first-year starting salaries for UCSB graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $77,900 followed by Computer Engineering paying $75,800 and Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering graduates who have a median starting income of $66,400 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Education (Doctoral Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $56,200 followed by Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) at $55,100 and Education (Master's Degree) who earn $54,500 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for University of California Santa Barbara graduates who received federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. Not all graduates or fields of study are represented as data for some degree programs are omitted for privacy purposes.
| Major | Earnings |
|---|---|
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $77,900 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $75,800 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,400 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $59,200 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,600 |
| Education (Doctoral Degree) | $56,200 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) | $55,100 |
| Education (Master's Degree) | $54,500 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $46,400 |
| Applied Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,500 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,100 |
| Statistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,400 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,900 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,400 |
| Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,100 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,300 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,000 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,700 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,400 |
| Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,200 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,900 |
| International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,200 |
| Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,200 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,200 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,100 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,700 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,900 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,200 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,800 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,000 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,400 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,000 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,000 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,200 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,900 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110705 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for University of California Santa Barbara.