Mathematics and Computer Scienceat University of California-San Diego
Graduates earn $89,651/yr in their first year — about 3.0% below the national Mathematics and Computer Science average. Base-case 10-year earnings $847K; scenarios range from $675K to $885K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC San Diego
This specialized degree from UC San Diego equips you with a formidable blend of mathematical rigor and computational prowess. While the initial earnings data might reflect San Diego's unique tech market, which differs from pure software hubs like Silicon Valley, your deep analytical skills are prized by local industries like biotech, defense, and telecommunications firms such as Qualcomm. The curriculum emphasizes the foundational principles of computing and algorithms, setting you up for advanced roles in data science, machine learning, and research-heavy development.
The "Very High" AI risk isn't a threat to your career, but rather an indicator of transformation. Your mathematical grounding makes you uniquely positioned to not just use AI tools, but to understand, develop, and refine the underlying algorithms. To thrive, actively seek internships that expose you to cutting-edge AI applications and focus on a specialization—be it machine learning engineering, statistical modeling, or cryptography—to differentiate your profile.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC San Diego's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Mathematics and Computer Science
How UC San Diego stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC San Diego
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC San Diego, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Mathematics and Computer Science at UC San Diego
How does University of California-San Diego's Mathematics and Computer Science program score?
A score of 71/100 indicates strong financial outcomes. University of California-San Diego's Mathematics and Computer Science graduates fare well on earnings, job market size, and return on investment.
How vulnerable is Mathematics and Computer Science to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Mathematics and Computer Science careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 67% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.