How much money do California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $50,900 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $69,400 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 Cal Poly graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer and Information Sciences with a median starting salary of $115,000 followed by Computer Engineering paying $88,200 and Construction Engineering Technologies graduates who have a median starting income of $78,300 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $97,200 followed by Engineering (Master's Degree) at $71,200 and Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) who earn $69,000 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo 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 and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $115,000 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) | $97,200 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $88,200 |
| Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $78,300 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $73,800 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $71,600 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $71,600 |
| Engineering (Master's Degree) | $71,200 |
| Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $69,100 |
| Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) | $69,000 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $68,100 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $66,700 |
| Materials Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $64,000 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,600 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $60,800 |
| Architectural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $60,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $59,800 |
| Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) | $57,700 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,300 |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) | $55,800 |
| Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $54,700 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $53,300 |
| Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,900 |
| Education (Master's Degree) | $51,400 |
| Graphic Communications (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,100 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $46,800 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,800 |
| Landscape Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,300 |
| Food Science and Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,800 |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,200 |
| Plant Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,100 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,000 |
| Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,900 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,400 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,100 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,300 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,600 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,600 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,400 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,200 |
| Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,900 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,600 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,500 |
| Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,100 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,800 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,000 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,000 |
| Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,400 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110422 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.