How much money do University of California Santa Cruz graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $35,200 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $50,400 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 UCSC graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Engineering with a median starting salary of $70,000 followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering paying $67,800 and Computer Science graduates who have a median starting income of $62,100 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $53,200 followed by Economics (Master's Degree) at $45,100 .
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 Cruz 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 Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $70,000 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,800 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,100 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (Master's Degree) | $53,200 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,000 |
| Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $49,700 |
| Economics (Master's Degree) | $45,100 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,100 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,700 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,000 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,700 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,700 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,700 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,100 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,700 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,900 |
| Cognitive Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,700 |
| Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,800 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,800 |
| Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,700 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,600 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,400 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,900 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,900 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,800 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,600 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,600 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,200 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,800 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,300 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,000 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110714 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for University of California Santa Cruz.