How much money do Boston University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $49,600 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $72,000 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 BU graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Engineering with a median starting salary of $80,000 followed by Computer Science paying $78,200 and Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering graduates who have a median starting income of $67,800 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Dentistry (First Professional Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $118,400 followed by Computer Science (Master's Degree) at $106,300 and Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) who earn $104,000 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Boston 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 |
|---|---|
| Dentistry (First Professional Degree) | $118,400 |
| Computer Science (Master's Degree) | $106,300 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) | $104,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $102,800 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degree) | $99,200 |
| Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree) | $95,200 |
| Insurance (Master's Degree) | $92,400 |
| Computer Engineering (Master's Degree) | $87,300 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) | $87,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degree) | $82,400 |
| Law (First Professional Degree) | $81,200 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $80,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $79,000 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $78,200 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $73,500 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degree) | $73,100 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,800 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $67,600 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Doctoral Degree) | $67,100 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,900 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) | $66,400 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) | $64,800 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Master's Degree) | $63,100 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) | $61,100 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $59,100 |
| Medicine (First Professional Degree) | $59,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,300 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) | $55,900 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $55,300 |
| Social Sciences (Master's Degree) | $55,100 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degree) | $54,600 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) | $53,500 |
| Public Health (Master's Degree) | $52,900 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,600 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) | $50,400 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,000 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $48,300 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degree) | $47,700 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) | $47,400 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degree) | $46,800 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $45,800 |
| Journalism (Master's Degree) | $44,900 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,800 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,400 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) | $43,800 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $43,700 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $43,100 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,900 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) | $42,400 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $41,600 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,900 |
| Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,800 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Master's Degree) | $40,200 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,600 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,500 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,000 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,900 |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies (First Professional Degree) | $37,200 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,000 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,200 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,200 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,100 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,700 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,700 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,200 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,100 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,800 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,700 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,500 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,000 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,600 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,000 |
| Music (Doctoral Degree) | $30,900 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Music (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,600 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,500 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,100 |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degree) | $27,800 |
| Music (Master's Degree) | $27,700 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degree) | $27,400 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) | $25,300 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,100 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,700 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=164988 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Boston University.