How much money do University of Southern California graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $60,000 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $85,500 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 USC graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Software and Media Applications with a median starting salary of $91,500 followed by Computer Engineering paying $86,400 and Computer Science graduates who have a median starting income of $85,200 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificate) program rank first with a median initial income of $184,800 followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) at $159,600 and Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degree) who earn $138,400 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for University of Southern California 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 |
|---|---|
| Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $184,800 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) | $159,600 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degree) | $138,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $122,100 |
| Real Estate Development (Master's Degree) | $109,300 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) | $109,000 |
| Computer Science (Master's Degree) | $108,200 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) | $107,700 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degree) | $98,900 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $95,700 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) | $95,600 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Master's Degree) | $95,200 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) | $94,300 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $92,300 |
| Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor’s Degree) | $91,500 |
| Law (First Professional Degree) | $89,300 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $88,600 |
| Engineering, Other (Master's Degree) | $87,700 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $86,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $85,500 |
| Dentistry (First Professional Degree) | $85,400 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $85,200 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $82,900 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) | $78,700 |
| Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) | $78,100 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $76,000 |
| Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $73,600 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $73,200 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $72,800 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) | $72,400 |
| Petroleum Engineering (Master's Degree) | $72,200 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $71,500 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $70,500 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) | $70,100 |
| Taxation (Master's Degree) | $69,500 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $69,400 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degree) | $69,000 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $66,900 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $66,500 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $64,600 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $64,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $64,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $64,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,400 |
| Geography and Cartography (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $63,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) | $60,400 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Master's Degree) | $60,100 |
| Medicine (First Professional Degree) | $58,700 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) | $58,600 |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) | $58,200 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $57,800 |
| Public Policy Analysis (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $57,700 |
| Geography and Cartography (Master's Degree) | $55,700 |
| Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degree) | $55,000 |
| Architecture (Master's Degree) | $54,800 |
| Applied Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $53,700 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $50,500 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $49,900 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) | $49,000 |
| Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,600 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degree) | $47,900 |
| Gerontology (Master's Degree) | $47,500 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $47,300 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) | $47,200 |
| Public Health (Master's Degree) | $46,800 |
| Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) | $45,300 |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,200 |
| Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,900 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,800 |
| Journalism (Master's Degree) | $43,400 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,300 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) | $42,100 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,700 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,600 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,900 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,200 |
| Music (Doctoral Degree) | $38,500 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degree) | $35,800 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Master's Degree) | $35,700 |
| International/Global Studies (Master's Degree) | $35,200 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,100 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,600 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,600 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,000 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,600 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,700 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,400 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,700 |
| Social Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,800 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degree) | $30,800 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) | $29,600 |
| Human Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,500 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,800 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,400 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,300 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,500 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,300 |
| Music (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,600 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,400 |
| Music (Master's Degree) | $16,200 |
| Music (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $15,500 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=123961 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for University of Southern California.