How much money do Portland State University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $36,400 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $48,600 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 Portland State University graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $78,100 followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering paying $67,600 and Mechanical Engineering graduates who have a median starting income of $61,000 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $90,700 followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $77,900 and Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degree) who earn $77,500 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Portland State University 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 |
|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degree) | $90,700 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $78,100 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $77,900 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degree) | $77,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,600 |
| Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) | $61,300 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $61,000 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $54,900 |
| Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degree) | $53,200 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,700 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $51,300 |
| City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning (Master's Degree) | $50,300 |
| Architecture (Master's Degree) | $49,400 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,900 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Post-baccalaureate Certificate) | $47,900 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $47,200 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) | $46,300 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,600 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $44,900 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,200 |
| Education (Master's Degree) | $43,800 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $42,500 |
| Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,800 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) | $40,700 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Master's Degree) | $38,800 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,400 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,100 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,700 |
| Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,500 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,900 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,300 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,900 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degree) | $33,600 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,600 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,100 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,400 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,300 |
| Social Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,100 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,100 |
| Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,300 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,800 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,400 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,300 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,100 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,800 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,600 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,600 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,500 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,300 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,600 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,300 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,500 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,400 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,300 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,400 |
| Philosophy (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,200 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Master's Degree) | $23,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,300 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,000 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=209807 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Portland State University.