Communication and Media Studies at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 71 graduates a year

$62,183
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$75,223
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$56,359
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#22 of 660
Rank by pay
#48 of 660
Rank, wage-adjusted
$14,857
Median federal debt

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates in communication and media studies earn 33% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 20% of one year’s pay at that point.

How California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Compares for Communication and Media Studies

All 660 colleges reporting communication and media studies earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$114,266$116,210#1$53,022
2Northwestern University Evanston, IL$93,541$91,903#2$52,210
3Cornell University Ithaca, NY$88,463$84,198#4$62,182
4Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA$84,206$76,622#11$51,720
5Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA$83,586$73,606#15$55,162
6Villanova University Villanova, PA$81,497$82,883#7$52,294
7Boston University Boston, MA$80,306$70,718#30$47,349
8Northeastern University Boston, MA$80,191$70,617#31$47,465
9Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA$80,191$70,617#32$47,465
10University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$79,648$83,980#5$50,556
…
19Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN$75,906$81,433#9—
20University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$75,864$69,031#45$47,651
21University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$75,612$68,802#46$43,696
22California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$75,223$68,448#48$62,183
23Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY$74,726$71,124#22$41,818
24Manhattan College Riverdale, NY$74,471$70,881#25$44,016
25University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD$74,402$65,296#69$43,696

Other Majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$154,784$111,141#29 of 349
Computer Engineering$148,950$111,560#14 of 189
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$125,240$90,576#11 of 258
Construction Management$118,331$92,785#2 of 57
Industrial Engineering$112,797$87,226#6 of 94
Business Administration, Management and Operations$110,902$71,876#15 of 1176
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$109,232$81,186#12 of 118
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$107,498$85,509#8 of 59
Mechanical Engineering$106,750$83,011#15 of 318
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$102,702$82,197#2 of 46
Statistics$101,353—#14 of 50
Civil Engineering$101,072$80,673#8 of 233
Materials Engineering$100,599$74,496#3 of 34
Economics$98,927$67,501#71 of 368
Philosophy$98,592—#2 of 86
Physics$96,805—#10 of 107
Architectural Engineering$92,767$80,481#4 of 16
Agricultural Engineering$92,603$72,713#4 of 26
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians$89,195$78,938#9 of 51
Agricultural Business and Management$88,396$52,778#2 of 77
Agriculture$84,412$64,786#1 of 43
Mathematics$83,187$53,136#66 of 309
Plant Sciences$82,487$63,129#1 of 44
Political Science and Government$81,843$37,003#36 of 565
Agricultural Public Services$80,965$54,583#1 of 10
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$80,820$47,832#2 of 17
Graphic Communications$79,432$49,029#1 of 59
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$78,097$57,538#16 of 110
Agricultural Mechanization$78,080$73,053#3 of 10
Forestry$77,419$55,092#3 of 31

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo communication and media studies graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $62,183 one year after graduating and $75,223 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rank for communication and media studies?

Among 660 colleges reporting earnings for communication and media studies graduates, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #22 by median pay four years after graduation, and #48 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is communication and media studies at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?

Its graduates earn 33% more than the national median for communication and media studies ($56,359), and the median federal debt at graduation is $14,857.

← All data for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.