Sonoma State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $65,997, in the 68th percentile nationally. That is $8,696 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,523 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 84th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,015.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $4,508. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $612.

Earnings four years after completion vary widely by field at Sonoma State University, a spread captured by three earnings scenarios: a downside of $54,134, a typical scenario of $65,997, and an upside of $88,922. The range reflects the mix of programs across the university's 24 fields with published data.

At the top of that range, Nursing completers earn a median of $143,886, while Electrical Engineering graduates reach $112,757 and Computer Science completers earn $106,181.

An estimated 32.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Sonoma State University's strongest nationally ranked programs span both high-earning technical fields and larger social-science and education programs. Education holds an Azimuth national rank of #2 and the top spot in California, with 130 degrees awarded and median earnings of $52,842 four years after completion.

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies ranks #4 nationally and #2 in California, awarding 47 degrees and reaching $64,116. Nursing follows at #6 nationally, and #6 in California, with 63 degrees awarded and median earnings of $143,886.

The highest-earning program, Nursing, reaches $143,886 on 63 degrees awarded. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awards 421 degrees and earns a median of $75,887.

Psychology, with 213 degrees awarded, reports $57,335 and an Azimuth national rank of #62. The spread between a top-ranked field like Education and a larger moderate-earning program like Psychology shows the range of earnings outcomes across the university's programs.

Sonoma State University publishes earnings data for 24 bachelor's programs, 21 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The strongest-ranked is Education, which sits at #2 nationally and #1 in California.

It awarded 130 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $52,842 four years after completion. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awarded 421 degrees and ranks #63 nationally, with a median of $75,887.

Nursing ranks #6 nationally and #6 in California. The program awarded 63 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $143,886 four years after completion.

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies holds a national rank of #4 with 47 degrees awarded and a median of $64,116. Anthropology rounds out the top-ranked group at #9 nationally, awarding 29 degrees and a median of $62,674.