Master's · San Diego, California
Is Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at San Diego State University worth it?
Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 10.1 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $51,868
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $78,532
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $35,265
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
- $37k (likely $37k – $37k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $9k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 10.1 years (likely 4.7–20+)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$149k (likely −$279k – $8k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $5k (likely −$285k – $351k)
- Today's dollars
Change income, residency or loans Compare Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at other schools
Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.
Other majors at San Diego State University
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's)$165,564
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral)$158,013
- Public Health (Doctoral)$131,791
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$120,799
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$120,682
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$116,842
- Psychology, General (Master's)$111,549
- Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's)$110,830
- Mechanical Engineering (Master's)$109,013
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$106,416
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$103,392
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$100,586
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at other schools in California
- University of San Francisco$71,471
- Chapman University$65,144
- San Francisco State University$62,221
- University of California-Riverside$60,371
- Antioch University-Los Angeles$57,116
- Antioch University-Santa Barbara$57,116
- National University$54,662
- California State University-Fresno$39,524
- California Institute of the Arts$34,026
- Saint Mary's College of California$31,133