The college majors that lead to the best-paying jobs for UC graduates

Key Findings

This article analyzes the median earnings of University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) graduates across various majors. Key findings include:

• Computer Science Dominates: UC Berkeley computer science graduates have the highest median annual earnings at $150,000 two years post-graduation, substantially outpacing other UC campuses.
• Campus Variation: Earnings vary significantly across campuses, especially for high-paying fields like computer science, engineering, and business, often reflecting geographic proximity to tech hubs.
• Major Impact: Majors like nursing and business also yield high earnings, although salary growth differs; business majors show more significant salary increases over time, potentially due to pursuing advanced degrees.
• Long-Term Growth: While computer science majors earn the most immediately after college and experience strong wage growth, other fields like nursing exhibit more modest salary growth over time. The time to reach high earning potential varies across fields; business majors, for instance, experience significant salary growth between two and ten years post-graduation.

Methodology

The analysis is based on data from the UC and CSU systems, focusing on median annual earnings of alumni working in California. The data excludes self-employed individuals and federal employees, and covers 22 fields of study, each encompassing various majors.

Additional Details

The article provides a detailed breakdown of median earnings for various majors at different campuses over two, five, and ten years after graduation, along with a list of specific majors included in each field of study. This detailed dataset helps to establish a comprehensive picture of the correlation between college majors and post-graduate earnings among UC and CSU graduates.