University of California Irvine campus

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UCI Salaries

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  • Irvine, CA
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at University of California Irvine

This page shows median first-year earnings for UCI 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 $41,800 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $61,800. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

Below, majors are ranked by median first-year earnings.

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, with median first-year earnings of $76,400 , followed by Computer Science at $71,600 , and Computer Engineering at $67,400 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $175,300 , followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) at $98,800 , and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $88,100 .

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

Median first-year earnings for University of California Irvine graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) $175,300
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $98,800
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $88,100
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $81,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $76,400
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,600
Law (First Professional Degree) $68,700
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $67,400
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,300
Chemistry (Doctoral Degree) $64,000
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,700
Criminology (Master's Degree) $62,300
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,000
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $59,700
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $58,900
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,200
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $56,000
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $55,800
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,000
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,100
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,800
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,800
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,300
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,100
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,700
International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,600
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,600
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,700
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,300
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,200
Urban Studies/Affairs (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,200
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,100
Criminology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,700
Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,500
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,200
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,600
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,500
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,500
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,400
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,900
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,300
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,300
Education (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,600
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,500
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,500
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,400
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,700
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,400
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,100
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $17,800

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering University of California Irvine often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=110653.

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

Last updated: August 2026