How much money do San Diego State University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $39,400 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $53,400 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 San Diego State graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing with a median starting salary of $85,200 followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering paying $68,400 and Computer Science graduates who have a median starting income of $64,800 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $68,900 followed by Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) at $67,700 and Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) who earn $67,500 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for San Diego State University 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 |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $85,200 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) | $68,900 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $68,400 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $67,700 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) | $67,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $64,900 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $64,800 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) | $63,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,300 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,200 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) | $61,600 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $61,400 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $55,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $51,500 |
| Public Health (Master's Degree) | $50,200 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $49,100 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) | $49,000 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $46,900 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,500 |
| International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,300 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,100 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,000 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,500 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,400 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,500 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,100 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,600 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,300 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,500 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,000 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,000 |
| Public Administration (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,500 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,200 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,000 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,600 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,500 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,000 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,700 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,400 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,900 |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,000 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,300 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,100 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,700 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,700 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,900 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,600 |
| Social Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,300 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,300 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=122409 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for San Diego State University.