CSUB receives another top ranking to add to recent accolades

Payscale ranks CSUB in top tier for U.S. salaries in the physical and life sciences

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 20^th, 2019

CSU Bakersfield ranks in the top tier for U.S. salaries in the physical and life sciences, according to PayScale, a respected software and data company that tracks employee compensation and the job market.

PayScale’s 2019-2020 College Salary Report lists CSUB’s physical and life science programs in the top 14 percent, with a ranking of No. 75 of 543 institutions surveyed. Within the 23-campus CSU system, Bakersfield placed No. 3.

“Our graduates earn top salaries because employers recognize the value of a CSUB education,” said Kathleen Madden, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. “We are rightly proud of the role that we play in changing the future for our students while meeting the STEM workforce needs of Kern County and beyond.”

The annual PayScale College Salary Report, based on the salaries of 3.5 million college graduates, provides estimates of early and mid-career pay for 2,500 associate and bachelor’s degree-granting institutions at 4,000 colleges and universities across the U.S.

The PayScale ranking follows a bounty of good news for CSUB recently.

Earlier this month, CSU Bakersfield distinguished itself in several categories in the highly anticipated U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges edition, and in August, Washington Monthly Magazine named CSUB a “Best Bang for the Buck” school and issued a high ranking for the quality of the master’s degree program.

For the first time in the history of the U.S. News & World Report, the publication included a social mobility category, which recognizes how well colleges serve low-income students. CSU Bakersfield ranked 22 out of 113 schools for social mobility in the Western region, a vast swath of the country that covers 15 states.

“We’re always so proud any time CSUB is acknowledged for our achievements,” said CSUB President, Dr. Lynnette Zelezny. “But the category that means the most to me is social mobility because it is a validation that our efforts to be inclusive and impactful, particularly with our first-generation college students, is working.”

CSUB was 28th of 113 colleges in the Top Public Schools category and 66th of 128 schools in the overall ranking of Western region schools.

In its first year of eligibility, CSUB’s undergraduate engineering program earned recognition, ranking 97th of 210 engineering programs in the nation. In 2018, the program achieved a milestone, earning the coveted seal of approval from the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET) following a rigorous process. Only schools that are ABET accredited are eligible for ranking in the U.S. News & World Report survey.

U.S. News also ranked the School of Business and Public Administration as a top undergraduate business program.

“The School of Business and Public Administration is one of only 5 percent of business schools around the world that have the international gold standard AACSB Accreditation for assuring high quality business education, said Angappa Gunasekaran, dean of the School of Business and Public Administration. Only 33 percent of business schools are AACSB accredited in the U.S.”