How much money do American University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $45,000 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $64,800 on average.
In terms of specific areas of study, the following is a ranking of degree programs by the median first-year starting salaries for AU graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Finance and Financial Management Services with a median starting salary of $50,700 followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations paying $47,000 and Economics graduates who have a median starting income of $45,300 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Taxation (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $90,600 followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $89,900 and Public Administration (Master's Degree) who earn $69,600 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for American University graduates who received federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. Not all graduates or fields of study are represented as data for some degree programs are omitted for privacy purposes.
| Major | Earnings |
|---|---|
| Taxation (Master's Degree) | $90,600 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $89,900 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $69,600 |
| Economics (Master's Degree) | $68,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $65,300 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) | $64,400 |
| Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degree) | $62,400 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degree) | $58,900 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) | $57,500 |
| Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degree) | $57,200 |
| International and Comparative Education (Master's Degree) | $55,900 |
| Law (First Professional Degree) | $55,300 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degree) | $54,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) | $53,000 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Master's Degree) | $52,500 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) | $51,900 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $51,400 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,700 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $47,000 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,300 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degree) | $44,500 |
| Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) (Bachelor’s Degree) | $44,300 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,900 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,800 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $42,100 |
| Philosophy (Master's Degree) | $41,900 |
| Political Science and Government (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) | $41,000 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,700 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,800 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,300 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,600 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,700 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) | $36,100 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,600 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,300 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,300 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,500 |
| Area Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,000 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,700 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degree) | $27,500 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,700 |
| Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,900 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=131159 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for American University.