Columbia University in the City of New York campus

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Columbia Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Columbia University in the City of New York

This page shows median first-year earnings for Columbia 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 $79,000 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $107,600. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Computer Science, with median first-year earnings of $96,400 , followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at $85,600 , and Operations Research at $79,000 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Law (First Professional Degree), with median first-year earnings of $180,300 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $167,700 , and Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degree) at $146,500 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Columbia University in the City of New York graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Law (First Professional Degree) $180,300
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $167,700
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degree) $146,500
Computer Science (Master's Degree) $132,500
Operations Research (Master's Degree) $111,500
Construction Management (Master's Degree) $107,800
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $105,600
Statistics (Master's Degree) $102,400
Computer and Information Sciences (Master's Degree) $97,700
Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) $97,600
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $96,400
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Master's Degree) $94,100
Real Estate Development (Master's Degree) $90,700
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) $88,800
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $85,600
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) $81,900
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $80,400
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) $79,600
Operations Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $79,000
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $77,800
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $75,300
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $74,200
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degree) $74,000
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $68,400
Sustainability Studies (Master's Degree) $68,300
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $68,100
Dispute Resolution (Master's Degree) $68,000
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) $67,400
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,000
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $66,000
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Master's Degree) $64,000
International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) $64,000
Dentistry (First Professional Degree) $63,000
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $62,900
Public Health (Master's Degree) $60,900
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $59,000
Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $58,800
Architecture (Master's Degree) $58,600
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) $57,000
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) $54,000
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) $54,000
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $51,100
Social Sciences, Other (Master's Degree) $50,800
Social Work (Master's Degree) $50,700
Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,800
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degree) $45,500
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,000
Journalism (Master's Degree) $43,800
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,800
Sustainability Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,500
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,100
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,500
Area Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,300
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,300
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,600
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,400
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,100
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,100
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degree) $31,600
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) $25,400
Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $21,800
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $19,700
Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Master's Degree) $17,500

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Columbia University in the City of New York often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=190150.

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

Last updated: August 2026