California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo campus

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Cal Poly Salaries

  • 8/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • San Luis Obispo, CA
  • 4.7 3 reviews
#7 Best Public Universities in California
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

This page shows median first-year earnings for Cal Poly 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 $50,900 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $69,400. 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 and Information Sciences, with median first-year earnings of $115,000 , followed by Computer Engineering at $88,200 , and Construction Engineering Technologies at $78,300 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $97,200 , followed by Engineering (Master's Degree) at $71,200 , and Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) at $69,000 .

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

Median first-year earnings for California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $115,000
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) $97,200
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $88,200
Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor’s Degree) $78,300
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $73,800
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,600
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,600
Engineering (Master's Degree) $71,200
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $69,100
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $69,000
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $68,100
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $66,700
Materials Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,000
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,600
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,800
Architectural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,400
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $59,800
Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,700
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,300
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) $55,800
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $54,700
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,300
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,900
Education (Master's Degree) $51,400
Graphic Communications (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,100
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,800
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,800
Landscape Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,300
Food Science and Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,800
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,200
Plant Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,100
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,000
Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,900
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,400
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,100
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,300
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,600
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,600
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,400
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,200
Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,900
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,600
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,500
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,100
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,800
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,000
Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $21,400

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110422.

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

Last updated: August 2026