Best colleges for Behavioral Sciences in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Santa Cruz leads: its Behavioral Sciences graduates earn a median $54,606 four years after finishing, against the field's $48,673 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Santa Cruz | $54,606 | +$5,933 |
| 2 | California Baptist University | $48,922 | +$249 |
| 3 | Concordia University-Irvine | $46,098 | -$2,575 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Behavioral Sciences programs?
$8,508 separates the top and bottom of this list — $54,606 at University of California-Santa Cruz against $46,098 at Concordia University-Irvine, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Behavioral Sciences graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $5,933 above the $48,673 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.