How much money do University of California San Diego graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $43,500 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $67,900 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 UCSD graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $80,800 followed by Computer Engineering paying $77,400 and Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology graduates who have a median starting income of $67,800 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Computer Science (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $141,200 followed by Engineering, Other (Master's Degree) at $109,700 and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) who earn $99,700 .
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 San Diego 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 (Master's Degree) | $141,200 |
| Engineering, Other (Master's Degree) | $109,700 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $99,700 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) | $89,900 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $80,800 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $77,400 |
| Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) | $68,400 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,800 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $66,800 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,900 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $61,000 |
| Medicine (Doctoral Degree) | $57,100 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,700 |
| Biology (Doctoral Degree) | $55,600 |
| Education (Master's Degree) | $54,700 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $54,000 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) | $52,100 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,700 |
| Engineering, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,000 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,200 |
| Chemistry (Doctoral Degree) | $47,400 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,300 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,000 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,900 |
| Biology (Master's Degree) | $39,100 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,700 |
| International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,500 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,500 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,900 |
| Applied Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,300 |
| Cognitive Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,200 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degree) | $34,700 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,800 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,000 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,200 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,000 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,000 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,500 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,000 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,900 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,500 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,300 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,300 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,400 |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,300 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degree) | $23,800 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,400 |
| Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,400 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $18,500 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $16,500 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $14,800 |
| Visual and Performing Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $12,700 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110680 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for University of California San Diego.