University of California Berkeley campus

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UC Berkeley Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at University of California Berkeley

This page shows median first-year earnings for UC Berkeley graduates by major, based on federal College Scorecard data. Six years after enrolling, former students who are working and no longer in school report average earnings of $53,300 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $74,700. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

Below, majors are ranked by median first-year earnings.

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $116,600 , followed by Computer Science at $114,800 , and Business Administration, Management and Operations at $76,600 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $160,600 , followed by Law (First Professional Degree) at $135,400 , and Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree) at $122,000 .

First-year earnings data come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and reflect IRS-reported income for University of California Berkeley graduates who received federal grants or loans. Some programs are omitted for privacy.

Median first-year earnings for University of California Berkeley graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $160,600
Law (First Professional Degree) $135,400
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree) $122,000
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $116,600
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $114,800
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $78,600
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $76,900
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $76,600
Education (Doctoral Degree) $76,500
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degree) $76,000
Optometry (First Professional Degree) $75,800
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $72,700
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,900
Public Health (Master's Degree) $68,900
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) $68,500
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,000
Statistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,700
Chemistry (Doctoral Degree) $63,200
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,000
Social Work (First Professional Degree) $62,800
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $61,500
Architecture (Master's Degree) $58,400
Landscape Architecture (Master's Degree) $55,700
Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,100
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) $54,500
Education (Master's Degree) $54,000
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Doctoral Degree) $51,600
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,900
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,300
Journalism (Master's Degree) $46,900
Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,800
Cognitive Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,300
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,100
Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,100
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,800
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,300
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,600
Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,100
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,100
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,800
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,300
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,700
Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,200
Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,800
Area Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,400
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,300
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,700
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,200
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,900
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,900
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,100
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,800
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,700
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,500
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,100
Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,100
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $16,300

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Students considering University of California Berkeley often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110635.

First-year earnings by major: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Last updated: August 2026