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Cornell Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Cornell University

This page shows median first-year earnings for Cornell 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 $68,400 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $98,400. 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 $116,300 , followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at $87,200 , and Operations Research at $79,900 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Law (Doctoral Degree), with median first-year earnings of $175,200 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $142,300 , and Computer Science (Master's Degree) at $113,700 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Cornell University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Law (Doctoral Degree) $175,200
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $142,300
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $116,300
Computer Science (Master's Degree) $113,700
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) $107,100
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degree) $95,100
Operations Research (Master's Degree) $94,500
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) $94,100
Systems Engineering (Master's Degree) $88,500
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $87,200
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $79,900
Operations Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $79,900
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $79,600
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $77,500
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $76,300
Chemical Engineering (Master's Degree) $75,600
Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $73,900
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $73,300
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $72,700
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $71,500
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $67,500
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $67,100
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) $66,700
Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,700
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) $66,200
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $61,700
Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degree) $61,300
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,900
Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,500
Hospitality Administration/Management (Master's Degree) $53,500
Agricultural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $51,200
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) $51,000
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $49,100
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,400
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,100
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,100
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,400
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,300
Area Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,800
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,500
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,100
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,000
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,200
Agriculture (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,500
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,400
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,800
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,200
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,000
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,000
Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,700
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,300

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Cornell University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=190415.

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

Last updated: August 2026