Federal data
Highest earning master's social work programs in California
California social work programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $93,023 | 33 |
| 2 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $81,059 | 111 |
| 3 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $71,186 | 69 |
| 4 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $67,567 | 109 |
| 5 | California State University-San Bernardino | San Bernardino | Public, 4-year | $67,479 | 160 |
| 6 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $66,873 | 434 |
| 7 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $66,121 | 171 |
| 8 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $65,967 | 155 |
| 9 | Loma Linda University | Loma Linda | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $65,606 | 56 |
| 10 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $65,106 | 130 |
| 11 | California State University-Fresno | Fresno | Public, 4-year | $64,873 | 76 |
| 12 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $64,869 | 264 |
| 13 | California State University-Northridge | Northridge | Public, 4-year | $64,193 | 183 |
| 14 | California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton | Public, 4-year | $64,167 | 164 |
| 15 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $62,668 | 124 |
| 16 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $62,661 | 61 |
| 17 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $62,331 | 111 |
| 18 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $61,978 | 98 |
| 19 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $61,612 | 142 |
| 20 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $61,298 | 2,023 |
| 21 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | Arcata | Public, 4-year | $60,219 | 75 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.