How much money do University of South Carolina Columbia graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $41,400 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $51,700 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 UofSC graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Chemical Engineering with a median starting salary of $68,800 followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering paying $67,000 and International Business graduates who have a median starting income of $66,800 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $131,000 followed by Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) at $105,100 and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) who earn $91,300 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for University of South Carolina Columbia 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 |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) | $131,000 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) | $105,100 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $91,300 |
| International Business (Master's Degree) | $88,600 |
| Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degree) | $84,200 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $68,800 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,000 |
| International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,800 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) | $66,700 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $64,600 |
| Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $60,200 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $58,900 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $58,700 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $58,700 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $58,600 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) | $57,300 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $56,700 |
| Medicine (First Professional Degree) | $54,700 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,900 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $52,600 |
| Insurance (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,400 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) | $51,700 |
| Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,500 |
| Law (First Professional Degree) | $48,300 |
| Public Health (Master's Degree) | $46,500 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,100 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,900 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) | $40,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,200 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $38,900 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,700 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,600 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) | $37,500 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $37,200 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $37,100 |
| Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) | $37,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,600 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,900 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,100 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,000 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,700 |
| Music (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,600 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,900 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,300 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,800 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,100 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,100 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,900 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,700 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,000 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,900 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,600 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,300 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,900 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,800 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,300 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,800 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,300 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,300 |
| Music (Master's Degree) | $22,800 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $18,100 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $14,200 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=218663 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for University of South Carolina Columbia.