How much money do College of Charleston graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $35,800 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $46,200 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 CofC graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer and Information Sciences with a median starting salary of $60,700 followed by Finance and Financial Management Services paying $47,100 and Accounting and Related Services graduates who have a median starting income of $41,700 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $56,700 followed by Public Administration (Master's Degree) at $39,500 and Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) who earn $36,000 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for College of Charleston 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 and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $60,700 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $56,700 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $47,100 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,700 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,200 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $39,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $36,000 |
| International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,400 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,600 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,300 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,000 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,100 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,300 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,100 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,400 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,400 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,700 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,600 |
| Historic Preservation and Conservation (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,400 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,000 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,900 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,900 |
| International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,100 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,000 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,300 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,000 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=217819 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for College of Charleston.