Engineering at University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA · Master's Degree · about 216 graduates a year

$101,781
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$150,717
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$129,974
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#3 of 16
Rank by pay
#4 of 16
Rank, wage-adjusted
$30,125
Median federal debt

University of Southern California graduates in engineering earn 16% 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 University of Southern California Compares for Engineering

All 16 colleges reporting 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
1Northwestern University Evanston, IL$211,469$207,767#1$162,147
2University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA$158,915$144,602#3$142,225
3University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$150,717$137,143#4$101,781
4University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN$141,008$134,693#5—
5Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN$140,404$150,628#2$120,243
6Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA$125,132$113,944#9$112,555
7University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$117,702$124,103#7$95,167
8Northeastern University Boston, MA$116,924$102,964#13$81,287
9Clemson University Clemson, SC$114,455$126,913#6—
10Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA$114,409$100,749#15$93,958

Other Engineering Credentials at University of Southern California

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Graduate/Professional Certificate—$84,820$137,056

Other Majors at University of Southern California by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$188,871$134,544#8 of 48
Real Estate Development$185,174$120,536—
Business Administration, Management and Operations$181,250$132,668#26 of 861
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$180,468$126,936#6 of 62
Computer Software and Media Applications$179,055$134,800#1 of 26
Systems Engineering$178,619$118,363#2 of 27
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$161,128$136,250#24 of 432
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$158,632$120,846#7 of 92
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$155,219$129,633#9 of 216
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences$142,858$178,854#17 of 17
Public Administration and Social Service Professions$140,115$163,956#1 of 7
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$139,463$112,143#6 of 25
Mechanical Engineering$139,101$106,735#6 of 83
Health and Medical Administrative Services$132,258$96,331#19 of 211
Civil Engineering$130,675$91,025#1 of 81
Taxation$127,082$80,287#7 of 30
Accounting and Related Services$122,697$73,673#8 of 349
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$121,165$85,502#5 of 40
Human Resources Management and Services$116,471$94,625#20 of 159
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations$107,998$66,292#5 of 9
Applied Mathematics$106,697$84,685#13 of 17
Public Administration$103,721$78,453#14 of 243
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology$96,014$71,497#12 of 322
Public Health$95,642$58,611#29 of 201
Dispute Resolution$94,256$72,887#2 of 6
Public Policy Analysis$94,114$64,952#22 of 50
Communication and Media Studies$91,873$68,587#7 of 61
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research—$91,029—
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$89,760$50,634#8 of 29
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$88,656$63,583#8 of 36

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do University of Southern California engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $101,781 one year after graduating and $150,717 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does University of Southern California rank for engineering?

Among 16 colleges reporting earnings for engineering graduates, University of Southern California ranks #3 by median pay four years after graduation, and #4 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is engineering at University of Southern California worth it?

Its graduates earn 16% more than the national median for engineering ($129,974), and the median federal debt at graduation is $30,125.

← All data for University of Southern California · 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.