Mechanical Engineering at University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA · Bachelor's Degree · about 101 graduates a year

$83,356
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$104,649
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$92,135
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#20 of 318
Rank by pay
#115 of 318
Rank, wage-adjusted
$14,250
Median federal debt

University of Southern California graduates in mechanical engineering earn 14% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 14% of one year’s pay at that point.

How University of Southern California Compares for Mechanical Engineering

All 318 colleges reporting mechanical 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$131,967$116,211#3$83,957
2California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA$126,395$115,011#5$92,315
3Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA$122,111$111,113#10$81,865
4Duke University Durham, NC$120,991$129,841#1$89,938
5University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$119,371$108,620#16$88,497
6Stanford University Stanford, CA$117,072$106,528#28—
7Princeton University Princeton, NJ$115,927$101,747#53$85,328
8University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$114,492$116,439#2$66,876
9Cornell University Ithaca, NY$112,212$106,803#27$85,440
10Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$111,491$106,116#32$72,036
…
17Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA$105,623$107,420#22$76,523
18California Baptist University Riverside, CA$105,046$95,585#107$72,224
19University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI$104,683$110,376#13$78,552
20University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$104,649$95,224#115$83,356
21The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX$104,523$106,269#31$82,227
22University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA$104,336$94,939#117$81,108
23University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA$104,229$94,842#118$69,555

Other Mechanical Engineering Credentials at University of Southern California

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$106,735$139,101—

Other Majors at University of Southern California by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$192,897$137,284#15 of 349
Computer Engineering$166,369—#8 of 189
Real Estate$143,977$98,763#1 of 25
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$131,532$89,684#9 of 258
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$125,514$78,980#1 of 59
Accounting and Related Services$121,101$73,903#6 of 796
Computer Software and Media Applications$115,839$103,071#4 of 54
Industrial Engineering$112,150$87,807#7 of 94
Business Administration, Management and Operations$109,128$71,668#16 of 1176
Real Estate Development$107,292$49,353—
Civil Engineering$106,308$85,262#4 of 233
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning$106,094—#1 of 17
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$105,415$80,508#17 of 118
Applied Mathematics$101,094$71,622#18 of 45
Chemical Engineering$100,646$68,234#50 of 158
Engineering-Related Fields$96,120$73,234#9 of 33
Economics$94,435$57,060#85 of 368
Cognitive Science$93,440$34,295#7 of 19
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$91,726$69,479#2 of 76
Public Health$89,522$36,300#3 of 215
Neurobiology and Neurosciences$89,203$38,063#3 of 67
Design and Applied Arts$89,022$64,846#5 of 299
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$87,946$50,041#3 of 178
International Relations and National Security Studies$84,866$52,262#12 of 118
History$79,940$36,876#12 of 459
Journalism$79,776$44,651#4 of 187
Architectural Sciences and Technology$78,741$47,874#4 of 22
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$78,731—#3 of 265
Communication and Media Studies$75,864$47,651#20 of 660
Political Science and Government$75,090$38,063#66 of 565

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do University of Southern California mechanical engineering graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $83,356 one year after graduating and $104,649 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does University of Southern California rank for mechanical engineering?

Among 318 colleges reporting earnings for mechanical engineering graduates, University of Southern California ranks #20 by median pay four years after graduation, and #115 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is mechanical engineering at University of Southern California worth it?

Its graduates earn 14% more than the national median for mechanical engineering ($92,135), and the median federal debt at graduation is $14,250.

← 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.