USC Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at University of Southern California

This page shows median first-year earnings for USC 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 $60,000 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $85,500. 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 Software and Media Applications, with median first-year earnings of $91,500 , followed by Computer Engineering at $86,400 , and Computer Science at $85,200 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificate), with median first-year earnings of $184,800 , followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) at $159,600 , and Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degree) at $138,400 .

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

Median first-year earnings for University of Southern California graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $184,800
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $159,600
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Master's Degree) $138,400
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $122,100
Real Estate Development (Master's Degree) $109,300
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) $109,000
Computer Science (Master's Degree) $108,200
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) $107,700
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degree) $98,900
Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $95,700
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) $95,600
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Master's Degree) $95,200
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) $94,300
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degree) $92,300
Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor’s Degree) $91,500
Law (First Professional Degree) $89,300
Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $88,600
Engineering, Other (Master's Degree) $87,700
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $86,400
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $85,500
Dentistry (First Professional Degree) $85,400
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $85,200
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degree) $82,900
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) $78,700
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $78,100
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $76,000
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $73,600
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) $73,200
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $72,800
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) $72,400
Petroleum Engineering (Master's Degree) $72,200
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,500
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $70,500
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) $70,100
Taxation (Master's Degree) $69,500
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $69,400
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degree) $69,000
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) $66,900
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $66,500
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,600
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,500
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,500
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $64,000
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,400
Geography and Cartography (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $63,000
Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) $60,400
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Master's Degree) $60,100
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $58,700
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) $58,600
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) $58,200
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,800
Public Policy Analysis (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $57,700
Geography and Cartography (Master's Degree) $55,700
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degree) $55,000
Architecture (Master's Degree) $54,800
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,700
Special Education and Teaching (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $50,500
Social Work (Master's Degree) $49,900
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) $49,000
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,600
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degree) $47,900
Gerontology (Master's Degree) $47,500
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,300
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) $47,200
Public Health (Master's Degree) $46,800
Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) $45,300
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,200
Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,900
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,800
Journalism (Master's Degree) $43,400
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,300
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) $42,100
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,700
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,600
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,900
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,200
Music (Doctoral Degree) $38,500
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degree) $35,800
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Master's Degree) $35,700
International/Global Studies (Master's Degree) $35,200
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,100
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,600
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,600
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,000
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,600
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,700
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,400
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,700
Social Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,800
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degree) $30,800
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) $29,600
Human Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,500
Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,800
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,400
Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,300
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,500
Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,300
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,600
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $20,400
Music (Master's Degree) $16,200
Music (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $15,500

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering University of Southern California often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=123961.

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

Last updated: August 2026