Chemical Engineering at University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 149 graduates a year

$81,553
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$121,027
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$98,158
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#3 of 158
Rank by pay
#32 of 158
Rank, wage-adjusted
$18,155
Median federal debt

University of California-Berkeley graduates in chemical engineering earn 23% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 15% of one year’s pay at that point.

How University of California-Berkeley Compares for Chemical Engineering

All 158 colleges reporting chemical 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
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA$122,093$107,516#38$80,139
2Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN$121,641$132,880#1$75,639
3University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$121,027$110,127#32$81,553
4Cornell University Ithaca, NY$116,165$110,565#30$85,578
5Lafayette College Easton, PA$115,726$117,694#7$79,602
6The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX$115,423$117,351#9$87,365
7Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA$114,226$132,225#2$74,786
8University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN$113,614$121,887#4$83,377
9Rice University Houston, TX$113,605$115,503#13$87,830
10University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA$113,317$103,111#54$79,737

Other Chemical Engineering Credentials at University of California-Berkeley

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree—$114,034—

Other Majors at University of California-Berkeley by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$204,379$149,866#9 of 349
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$200,543$137,295#2 of 258
Business Administration, Management and Operations$144,599$90,008#4 of 1176
Operations Research$138,883$88,685—
Economics$135,050$80,446#14 of 368
Statistics$133,986$83,227#4 of 50
Cognitive Science$120,193$64,559#4 of 19
Mechanical Engineering$119,371$88,497#5 of 318
Applied Mathematics$118,414$71,814#7 of 45
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$110,597$73,348#9 of 118
Civil Engineering$108,548$78,142#1 of 233
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$103,546$50,706#1 of 49
Social Sciences$101,138$61,109#1 of 35
Physics$96,043$50,219#13 of 107
Astronomy and Astrophysics$90,943$54,746—
Computer and Information Sciences—$88,030—
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies$87,791$45,461#8 of 207
Chemistry$82,386$59,576#11 of 209
Mathematics$80,654$46,674#82 of 309
Nutrition Sciences$79,391$35,161#1 of 53
Biology$79,163$36,642#27 of 841
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$78,624$47,338#4 of 265
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services$76,724$25,059#4 of 90
Architecture$76,679$50,917#7 of 78
Public Health$76,572$48,351#13 of 215
Urban Studies/Affairs$76,125$58,171#3 of 30
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$75,715$40,818#14 of 225
Communication and Media Studies$75,612$43,696#21 of 660
Political Science and Government$75,128$45,418#65 of 565
Sociology$71,363$40,774#12 of 462

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do University of California-Berkeley chemical engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $81,553 one year after graduating and $121,027 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does University of California-Berkeley rank for chemical engineering?

Among 158 colleges reporting earnings for chemical engineering graduates, University of California-Berkeley ranks #3 by median pay four years after graduation, and #32 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is chemical engineering at University of California-Berkeley worth it?

Its graduates earn 23% more than the national median for chemical engineering ($98,158), and the median federal debt at graduation is $18,155.

← All data for University of California-Berkeley · 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.