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UC Davis Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at University of California Davis

This page shows median first-year earnings for UC Davis 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 $42,600 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $65,200. 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 Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $76,300 , followed by Computer and Information Sciences at $75,100 , and Engineering at $68,100 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $125,700 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $103,100 , and Chemistry (Doctoral Degree) at $67,600 .

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

Median first-year earnings for University of California Davis graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $125,700
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $103,100
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $76,300
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $75,100
Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $68,100
Chemistry (Doctoral Degree) $67,600
Law (First Professional Degree) $67,100
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $66,500
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (First Professional Degree) $66,300
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,400
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $61,700
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $61,600
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,300
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $55,700
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Doctoral Degree) $54,200
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,100
Education (Master's Degree) $50,800
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,200
Public Health (Master's Degree) $48,700
Statistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,900
Landscape Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,700
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,800
Biotechnology (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,700
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,900
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,700
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,300
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,900
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,700
Food Science and Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,300
Social Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,100
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,800
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,300
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,100
Agricultural Production Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,700
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,500
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,900
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,900
Pharmacology and Toxicology (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,600
Genetics (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,400
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,100
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,800
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,500
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,400
Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,300
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,700
Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,600
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,500
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,500
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,200
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,900
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,500
Psychology, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,400
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,800
Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,700
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,100
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,400
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,100
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,600
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,400
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,200
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,200
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,200
Natural Resources and Conservation, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,100
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,800
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $18,800
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $17,600

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering University of California Davis often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110644.

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

Last updated: August 2026