Portland State University Outcomes

Portland State University has 83 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Computer Science (master's), where graduates earn a median $145,715 four years after finishing, against $151,603 for the same field nationally.

Verified data· U.S. College Scorecard · 2025

52.9%

Graduation rate

First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time

76.1%

First-year retention

Students who return for a second year

Median earnings

$62,447

Former students who received federal aid

Quick facts

Admit rate: 90.9%
Avg. net price: $8,337
Graduation: 52.9%
Students: 13,182

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Portland State University graduate earnings by major

Source: U.S. College Scorecard, field of study, 2025

Median earnings of graduates who received federal aid, one and four years after finishing, and the median federal loan debt they borrowed at Portland State University. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 195 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.

Largest program: Psychology, General; 391 graduates · $49,063 median earnings
Above the national median: 40 of 83 programs; Graduate earnings compared with the same field and credential at other colleges
Lowest debt for the pay: Computer Science; Median debt is 18% of a year's earnings

Highest-earning programs

Computer Science (master's): $145,715; Field median $151,603
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (master's): $139,274; Field median $135,852
Materials Engineering (master's): $125,486; Field median $104,900
Business Administration, Management and Operations (master's): $123,281; Field median $95,127
Real Estate (master's): $117,821; Field median $147,770
Computer Science (bachelor's): $113,889; Field median $99,177
Finance and Financial Management Services (master's): $113,459; Field median $112,765
Electrical and Computer Engineering (master's): $112,888; Field median $112,888

Median earnings four years after finishing, or one year where four is not reported.

Bachelor's programs

Bachelor's programs: graduates, median earnings 1 and 4 years after finishing, national median earnings for the field, and median federal debt
Program	Graduates	Earnings 1 yr	Earnings 4 yr	Field median	Median debt
Computer Science	127	$83,156	$113,889	$99,17715% above	$20,955
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	33	$84,652	$101,905	$98,9533% above	$19,250
Computer Engineering	15	$96,791	N/A	$80,98720% above	N/A
Mechanical Engineering	75	$78,377	$94,223	$91,2853% above	$22,416
Physics	14	$58,579	$87,488	$78,86411% above	N/A
Civil Engineering	48	$74,330	$86,084	$85,1151% above	$19,400
Finance and Financial Management Services	78	$60,668	$79,727	$77,3123% above	$18,300
Accounting and Related Services	123	$63,873	$77,226	$73,0546% above	$16,668
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	19	$49,763	$75,765	$64,95117% above	N/A
Economics	31	$56,793	$75,482	$79,3105% below	$16,999
Business Administration, Management and Operations	223	$60,449	$71,621	$64,59011% above	$16,866
Chemistry	11	N/A	$70,948	$66,3667% above	N/A
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other	43	$37,245	$70,765	$70,9750% above	$20,678
Mathematics	39	$53,452	$68,280	$70,6283% below	$20,333
Human Resources Management and Services	74	$59,188	$68,274	$67,0252% above	$19,743
Social Work	84	$43,124	$63,456	$51,85922% above	$20,175
Architecture	39	$47,559	$62,349	$67,1787% below	$22,458
Marketing	164	$47,931	$61,499	$66,5428% below	$15,278
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General	128	$42,900	$59,961	$59,8810% above	$18,572
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	33	$31,178	$59,563	$58,4912% above	$18,000
Communication and Media Studies	57	$46,427	$59,232	$53,82510% above	$17,750
Political Science and Government	79	$44,448	$59,185	$61,6134% below	$17,917
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	58	$41,645	$58,961	$54,6278% above	$21,417
Public Health	99	$49,137	$58,860	$57,3983% above	$19,500
Criminal Justice and Corrections	124	$49,260	$58,109	$54,4697% above	$18,485
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences	13	N/A	$57,932	$60,3794% below	$18,291
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	145	$38,318	$57,438	$54,5305% above	$17,500
Biological and Physical Sciences	96	$38,339	$57,303	$59,8574% below	$20,500
International Relations and National Security Studies	12	N/A	$56,436	$66,12215% below	N/A
Design and Applied Arts	68	$43,283	$56,158	$52,7277% above	$19,500
Biology, General	116	$39,784	$54,934	$57,5585% below	$18,833
Geography and Cartography	14	$59,400	$54,310	$57,5866% below	N/A
History	36	$33,981	$54,131	$50,3877% above	$15,294
Sociology	45	$42,662	$53,753	$52,1053% above	$18,384
Social Sciences, General	277	$43,546	$52,562	$52,0951% above	$19,166
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	18	$33,611	$51,925	$51,1711% above	$21,361
Visual and Performing Arts, Other	17	N/A	$51,248	$49,7743% above	$25,000
Community Organization and Advocacy	10	$44,203	$51,066	$52,5733% below	N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	230	$39,765	$50,949	$52,0202% below	$19,634
Special Education and Teaching	9	$50,574	N/A	$46,7508% above	N/A
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	37	$46,606	$50,427	$47,2697% above	$18,023
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	25	$38,076	$50,241	$56,04710% below	N/A
Philosophy	16	N/A	$50,191	$56,78612% below	$15,144
Psychology, General	391	$40,195	$49,063	$50,0662% below	$19,000
Urban Studies/Affairs	27	$48,714	N/A	$46,2335% above	$17,298
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	7	N/A	$45,692	$40,05314% above	N/A
English Language and Literature, General	74	$35,494	$43,342	$48,77311% below	$15,971
Anthropology	14	$34,061	$41,759	$45,8339% below	$21,994
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	45	$30,071	$41,639	$45,2268% below	$21,277
Fine and Studio Arts	55	$30,133	$40,731	$41,5502% below	$19,122
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	9	$40,597	$39,563	$52,01124% below	N/A
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	20	$37,725	N/A	$40,5197% below	$20,000
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians	21	$34,345	N/A	$34,9072% below	$15,250
Music	18	N/A	$34,160	$43,38721% below	N/A
International/Globalization Studies	20	$32,163	N/A	$42,06024% below	N/A

Master's programs

Master's programs: graduates, median earnings 1 and 4 years after finishing, national median earnings for the field, and median federal debt
Program	Graduates	Earnings 1 yr	Earnings 4 yr	Field median	Median debt
Computer Science	112	$112,908	$145,715	$151,6034% below	$39,144
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	0	N/A	$139,274	$135,8523% above	N/A
Materials Engineering	15	$125,486	N/A	$104,90020% above	N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations	94	$96,412	$123,281	$95,12730% above	$41,000
Real Estate	11	$90,275	$117,821	$147,77020% below	N/A
Finance and Financial Management Services	0	N/A	$113,459	$112,7651% above	N/A
Electrical and Computer Engineering	117	$112,888	N/A	$112,8880% above	N/A
Mechanical Engineering	14	$117,066	$107,077	$115,3767% below	N/A
Public Administration	26	$86,609	$99,801	$77,17529% above	$37,936
Civil Engineering	13	$95,050	$93,150	$96,8054% below	N/A
Applied Mathematics	38	$83,395	N/A	$87,3365% below	N/A
Taxation	15	$76,595	$81,454	$111,56627% below	N/A
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning	34	$68,508	$80,453	$81,3631% below	$38,000
Social Work	275	$66,965	$77,091	$62,59723% above	$56,750
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	40	$65,188	$76,980	$65,78617% above	$50,053
Curriculum and Instruction	29	$68,696	$76,554	$60,80726% above	$21,068
Public Policy Analysis	9	N/A	$73,504	$87,73016% below	N/A
Architecture	15	N/A	$71,002	$73,4963% below	$41,000
Special Education and Teaching	65	$60,533	$67,504	$63,0587% above	$41,000
Educational Administration and Supervision	37	$58,602	$63,168	$69,94410% below	$36,799
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	41	$57,448	$63,034	$58,9987% above	$61,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	39	$54,653	$62,874	$58,8457% above	$35,500
Education, General	127	$56,448	$61,014	$63,7544% below	$35,756
Publishing	22	$39,953	$58,153	$65,22911% below	$38,707
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language	12	N/A	$43,242	$63,61132% below	N/A
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	15	N/A	$43,137	$56,93924% below	N/A

Post-baccalaureate certificate programs

Post-baccalaureate certificate programs: graduates, median earnings 1 and 4 years after finishing, national median earnings for the field, and median federal debt
Program	Graduates	Earnings 1 yr	Earnings 4 yr	Field median	Median debt
Accounting and Related Services	Not available	N/A	$79,598	$81,9433% below	N/A

Graduate certificate programs

Graduate certificate programs: graduates, median earnings 1 and 4 years after finishing, national median earnings for the field, and median federal debt
Program	Graduates	Earnings 1 yr	Earnings 4 yr	Field median	Median debt
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	18	$71,622	N/A	$71,6220% above	N/A

Career paths from this college

Careers linked to the programs Portland State University reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.

Explore all 447 careers

Management
Chief Executives
Median pay
$213,990
Outlook
As fast as average
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 4 more
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Complex Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
Management
Chief Sustainability Officers
Median pay
$213,990
Outlook
As fast as average
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 4 more
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Listening
Bright outlook
Science
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Median pay
$193,950
Outlook
Faster than average
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Bright outlook
Management
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Median pay
$175,140
Outlook
Much faster than average
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Computer Science and 5 more
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
Bright outlook
Science
Physicists
Median pay
$172,250
Outlook
Faster than average
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Physics, Public Health
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Bright outlook
Management
Architectural and Engineering Managers
Median pay
$171,270
Outlook
Faster than average
Bachelor's degree
Via Architecture, City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning and 12 more
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Complex Problem Solving