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Pepperdine majors and salaries

Pepperdine University · Malibu, California · Private nonprofit · 3,553 undergraduates

13
of 42 bachelor's programs with pay data
$89,410
median earnings 10 years after enrolling
$21,500
median federal debt at graduation
78%
graduate within six years

Business Administration, Management and Operations awards the most degrees here (374 over two years), and it also pays above most other programs: $91,227 four years out. Economics ($104,943) and International Business ($100,595) are the best-paid programs four years after graduation. The New School, Clark Atlanta University, Yeshiva University, Chapman and Pratt Institute, Main trail Pepperdine on median earnings ten years after enrollment, while Bryant is ahead.

Highest-paying bachelor's programs

Economics: $104,943Economics$104,943International Business: $100,595International Business$100,595Business Administration, Management and Operations: $91,227Business Administration, Managemen…$91,227Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication: $81,417Public Relations, Advertising, and…$81,417Political Science and Government: $75,954Political Science and Government$75,954Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness: $65,100Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical…$65,100International/Globalization Studies: $62,495International/Globalization Studies$62,495Psychology, General: $61,353Psychology, General$61,353Journalism: $58,801Journalism$58,801Radio, Television, and Digital Communication: $55,432Radio, Television, and Digital Com…$55,432Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft: $50,594Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft$50,594
Median earnings four years after graduation, graduates working and not enrolled.

Every program with earnings data

ProgramGraduates (2 yrs)Median debtPay after 1 yrPay after 4 yrs
Economics77$17,497$48,348$104,943
International Business35–$64,447$100,595
Business Administration, Management and Operations374$23,500$72,989$91,227
Accounting and Related Services27–$82,200–
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication166$20,549$56,348$81,417
Political Science and Government74$20,000$50,528$75,954
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness121$20,224$28,994$65,100
International/Globalization Studies28–$43,900$62,495
Psychology, General181$21,500$43,066$61,353
Journalism22––$58,801
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication3––$55,432
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft38$18,350–$50,594
Biology, General97$19,705$34,846–

Programs are grouped by four-digit CIP code, so one row can cover several related majors. "Graduates" counts bachelor's degrees awarded across the two years that make up each earnings cohort.

Outcomes

Six-year graduation rate
78% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
First-year students who return
88%
Students per faculty member
12
Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
$89,410 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
Median federal debt at graduation
$21,500 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)

Colleges similar to Pepperdine

The six private nonprofit four-year colleges closest to Pepperdine in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.

CollegeAcceptance rateUndergraduatesAvg net priceEarnings after 10 yrs
The New School
New York, NY		63%6,563$48,163$64,471
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, GA		64%3,603$38,626$46,867
Yeshiva University
New York, NY		56%2,852$49,210$77,098
Chapman
Orange, CA		65%7,478$46,708$80,694
Pratt Institute, Main
Brooklyn, NY		73%3,910$48,876$63,115
Bryant
Smithfield, RI		65%3,194$39,186$104,456

Program earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled, one and four years after finishing, for two pooled graduating classes. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and do not appear. College Scorecard data updated November 2, 2026. How these figures are built · Pepperdine on College Scorecard