Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Photo: Dmarkmd5, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco State University has 79 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Educational Administration and Supervision (doctoral), where graduates earn a median $157,979 four years after finishing, against $101,194 for the same field nationally.
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
Students who return for a second year
Median earnings
$73,299
Former students who received federal aid
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 San Francisco State University. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 155 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.
Highest-earning programs
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 182 | $145,008 | $150,102 | $86,02074% above | $13,331 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 33 | $85,968 | $112,454 | $98,95314% above | $19,178 |
| Computer Science | 369 | $70,632 | $105,166 | $99,1776% above | $17,062 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 72 | $74,869 | $102,104 | $91,28512% above | $18,500 |
| Computer Engineering | 37 | $74,592 | $94,129 | $104,78510% below | $21,000 |
| Civil Engineering | 61 | $82,059 | $90,894 | $85,1157% above | $21,250 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Not available | $69,099 | $86,425 | $85,0002% above | N/A |
| Economics | 56 | $51,760 | $82,697 | $79,3104% above | $18,750 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 42 | $62,350 | $76,134 | $64,95117% above | $15,000 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 6 | N/A | $75,207 | $67,02512% above | N/A |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | Not available | $52,038 | $74,482 | $66,90611% above | N/A |
| Biology, General | 339 | $44,755 | $74,204 | $57,55829% above | $15,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 980 | $53,836 | $73,775 | $64,59014% above | $16,624 |
| Marketing | Not available | N/A | $71,691 | $66,5428% above | N/A |
| Mathematics | 35 | N/A | $71,323 | $70,6281% above | $16,750 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 29 | $35,631 | $70,532 | $58,49121% above | $19,500 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | 12 | $62,498 | $70,207 | $62,99111% above | N/A |
| Social Work | 21 | $44,889 | $68,524 | $51,85932% above | $21,763 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 30 | $41,658 | $65,775 | $66,1221% below | $12,766 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 15 | $52,160 | $65,510 | $55,85617% above | N/A |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 31 | $48,894 | $65,252 | $59,8819% above | $18,625 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 176 | $42,419 | $63,764 | $54,46917% above | $15,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 211 | $48,274 | $63,731 | $53,82518% above | $15,000 |
| Geography and Cartography | 27 | $43,637 | $63,590 | $57,58610% above | N/A |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 15 | $54,778 | $62,623 | $56,04712% above | N/A |
| Sociology | 118 | $47,995 | $62,385 | $52,10520% above | $15,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 57 | $44,855 | $62,116 | $54,62714% above | $13,964 |
| Political Science and Government | 114 | $45,925 | $61,915 | $61,6130% above | $13,773 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 57 | $36,231 | $61,895 | $59,5284% above | $20,000 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 16 | $38,298 | $61,603 | $52,01118% above | N/A |
| Anthropology | 20 | $42,054 | $61,300 | $45,83334% above | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 210 | $45,013 | $59,993 | $47,73026% above | $12,500 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 65 | $43,013 | $59,990 | $51,56916% above | $17,958 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 193 | $43,685 | $59,678 | $52,72713% above | $15,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 144 | $42,540 | $59,056 | $53,02411% above | $13,500 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 36 | $40,228 | $59,032 | $47,08825% above | $16,085 |
| Chemistry | 13 | $58,948 | N/A | $48,36022% above | N/A |
| History | 48 | $33,600 | $58,717 | $50,38717% above | $15,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 49 | $43,229 | $58,617 | $52,02013% above | $17,481 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 107 | $40,506 | $58,550 | $48,48421% above | $18,750 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 3 | N/A | $58,530 | $46,13627% above | N/A |
| Journalism | 36 | $40,270 | $57,260 | $54,3785% above | $13,467 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 95 | $37,226 | $56,297 | $48,77315% above | $15,833 |
| Psychology, General | 452 | $40,742 | $55,902 | $50,06612% above | $13,250 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 10 | $40,746 | $55,212 | $49,41912% above | N/A |
| Apparel and Textiles | 59 | $35,725 | $53,575 | $58,5168% below | $18,625 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 5 | N/A | $48,959 | $51,1714% below | N/A |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 185 | $32,668 | $47,149 | $45,2264% above | $15,305 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 36 | $29,663 | $44,848 | $40,05312% above | $16,842 |
| Dance | 5 | N/A | $44,627 | $40,8459% above | N/A |
| Philosophy | 16 | $41,164 | $42,993 | $56,78624% below | $16,152 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 87 | $31,796 | $42,868 | $41,5503% above | $18,000 |
| Music | 25 | $36,891 | $38,639 | $43,38711% below | $18,812 |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 26 | $154,646 | $152,207 | $120,33826% above | $66,841 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 63 | $100,581 | $131,094 | $95,12738% above | $41,300 |
| Biology, General | 57 | $67,972 | $128,052 | $71,90578% above | N/A |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 38 | $105,672 | $109,935 | $69,94457% above | N/A |
| Public Administration | 39 | $89,556 | $108,093 | $77,17540% above | $41,100 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 6 | N/A | $96,854 | $65,74447% above | N/A |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 34 | $84,897 | $95,402 | $65,78645% above | $36,436 |
| Social Work | 48 | $87,992 | $94,452 | $62,59751% above | $34,250 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 50 | $77,155 | $91,778 | $58,99856% above | $41,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 24 | $80,039 | N/A | $73,5809% above | N/A |
| Public Health | 12 | $73,971 | $79,053 | $78,9980% above | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Not available | $76,221 | $77,699 | $58,84532% above | N/A |
| Special Education and Teaching | 46 | $74,781 | $76,580 | $63,05821% above | $33,065 |
| Education, General | 58 | $80,045 | $75,757 | $63,75419% above | $22,200 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 22 | N/A | $75,709 | $69,3179% above | N/A |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 12 | $64,525 | $72,271 | $60,23420% above | N/A |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 34 | $36,516 | $62,221 | $56,9399% above | $66,596 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 32 | $50,409 | $62,210 | $61,2692% above | $41,000 |
| Museology/Museum Studies | 11 | $61,321 | N/A | $47,26830% above | N/A |
| Psychology, General | 23 | $50,309 | N/A | $53,4286% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 15 | $135,857 | $157,979 | $101,19456% above | $61,500 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 0 | $92,499 | $96,298 | $82,63317% above | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Support Services | Not available | N/A | $92,546 | $56,85363% above | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Not available | $136,839 | N/A | $84,11963% above | $12,500 |
| Legal Support Services | Not available | $63,556 | N/A | $59,7736% above | N/A |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Not available | $27,125 | N/A | $26,3223% above | $12,928 |
Careers linked to the programs San Francisco State University reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.
Healthcare practitioners
Master's degree
Via Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 3 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 3 more
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Computer Science and 4 more
Science
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Astronomy and Astrophysics, Physics and 1 more
Verified facts
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Bars show profile closeness out of 100: how near each college's graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control are to San Francisco State University. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later card can score higher.
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