Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 46 graduates a year

$74,496
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$100,599
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$91,449
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#3 of 34
Rank by pay
#18 of 34
Rank, wage-adjusted
$17,000
Median federal debt

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates in materials engineering earn 10% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 17% of one year’s pay at that point.

How California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Compares for Materials Engineering

All 34 colleges reporting materials engineering 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
1Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN$107,557$115,389#1$78,265
2University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA$106,547$96,951#6$58,177
3California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$100,599$91,538#18$74,496
4University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$98,879$104,256#2$75,041
5University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL$97,924$96,210#9$75,080
6Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA$97,904$99,569#4$74,971
7University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD$97,714$85,755#22—
8Michigan State University East Lansing, MI$95,761$100,969#3$78,276
9University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA$95,314$87,669#20$71,174
10Drexel University Philadelphia, PA$94,694$96,305#8$78,623

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
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
Architecture$76,613$60,634#8 of 78

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo materials engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $74,496 one year after graduating and $100,599 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 materials engineering?

Among 34 colleges reporting earnings for materials engineering graduates, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks #3 by median pay four years after graduation, and #18 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is materials engineering at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?

Its graduates earn 10% more than the national median for materials engineering ($91,449), and the median federal debt at graduation is $17,000.

← 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.