Students graduating from the University of San Diego with a baccalaureate degree will have a unique advantage in pursuing their career choices. With a curriculum grounded in the Catholic tradition and shaped by the liberal arts, USD focuses on the development of the whole person—their intellectual, spiritual, creative and social capacity.
USD students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to write well, think critically, ethically and quantitatively, ask the right questions, recognize problems and work within teams to develop solutions. These skills, coupled with service learning and studying abroad, equip USD graduates with a unique global outlook and an appreciation for the cultural diversity of people and ideas.
These are the combined skills that today's global companies and institutions are looking for as they search for working professionals expected to accomplish more with fewer resources.
The data presented here is based on the First-Destination Survey conducted by the USD Career Development Center. This survey compiles data from multiple sources and follows the standards and protocols established by the National Association of College and Employers (NACE). The survey captures information from 79.2% of undergraduate students who graduated between July 2024 and June 2025.
For more information, please contact Career Development Center at (619) 260-4654.
94% Career Outcomes Rate *
- Employed: 66%
- Furthering education: 22.5%
- Full-time service: 0.6%
- Military: 2.8%
- Seeking employment: 6%
- Not Seeking employment: 2.1%
* This figure represents the percentage of graduates with positive career outcomes, calculated according to NACE guidelines.
Employed Graduates
First Job Offer
- Before graduating: 71.9%
- Within 3 months: 19%
- 4-6 months: 8.2%
- More than 6 months: 0.9%
Full-Time Employment by Industry
- 16% Finance and Banking
- 12% Health and Medical
- 10% Accounting/Auditing
- 9% Real Estate
- 8% Marketing, Sales, and Consumer Products
- 7% Technology
- 6% Engineering and Design
- 6% Education, Child Development and Family Services
- 4% Arts, Media, and Entertainment
- 3% Science and Research
- 3% Manufacturing and Product Development
- 2% Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation
- 2% Public Service/Government/Nonprofit
- 2% Energy and Utilities
- 2% Transportation
- 1% Law
- 7% Other
Employers of USD Graduates
- EY
- General Atomics
- PwC
- E&J Gallo Winery
- Deloitte
- Northrop Grumman
- Rescue Agency
- San Diego Padres
- CBRE
- Rady Children's Hospital
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Aerojet Rocketdyne
- Clarity Design, Inc.
- NBC Universal
- Boeing
- Scripps Mercy Hospital
- Amazon
- Qualcomm
- Sempra Energy
- Tesla
- The Walt Disney Company
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
See complete list of employers and job titles by industry.
Annual Starting Salaries
- $77,620 Average
- $75,000 Median
- $9,000–$1,000,000 Salary Range
Average Annual Starting Salary by Industry
| Industry | Salary |
|---|---|
| Accounting/Auditing | $81,826 |
| Arts, Media, and Entertainment | $75,141 |
| Education, Child Development and Family Services | $45,421 |
| Engineering and Design | $81,530 |
| Finance and Banking | $80,861 |
| Health and Medical | $65,337 |
| Marketing, Sales, and Consumer Products | $123,878 |
| Other | $64,604 |
| Public Service/Government/Nonprofit | $73,868 |
| Real Estate | $79,969 |
| Science and Research | $64,180 |
| Technology | $78,873 |
Graduates Furthering Education
Top-tier graduate programs in nursing, business, peace studies, education, executive and global leadership, nonprofit management regularly produce supremely skilled, intelligent and quality critical thinkers who can solve problems, fulfill a leadership role and be a major contributor to a company's success. An abundance of professional development opportunities are also available through USD's Professional and Continuing Education programs.
25%
Business
24%
Health
19%
Engineering and Science
9%
Law
8%
Humanities
7%
Social Science
6%
Education
2%
Professional Studies
A Sample of Graduate Schools that 2024 University of San Diego Graduates Attend
See a full list of recent graduate school destinations.