How much money do Duke University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $88,200 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $108,900 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 Duke graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $99,600 followed by Computer Engineering paying $95,200 and Economics graduates who have a median starting income of $89,800 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the International Business (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $189,400 followed by Law (Doctoral Degree) at $162,200 and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) who earn $136,700 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Duke 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 |
|---|---|
| International Business (Master's Degree) | $189,400 |
| Law (Doctoral Degree) | $162,200 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $136,700 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degree) | $133,200 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $132,300 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degree) | $114,400 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $99,600 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $95,200 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) | $93,000 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $89,800 |
| Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degree) | $84,200 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $74,700 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $73,500 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degree) | $72,300 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $71,700 |
| Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degree) | $65,800 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) | $64,900 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,700 |
| Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor’s Degree) | $59,300 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) | $56,800 |
| Medicine (Doctoral Degree) | $56,800 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Doctoral Degree) | $56,000 |
| Natural Resources Management and Policy (Master's Degree) | $52,500 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $51,400 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $51,100 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $47,400 |
| International and Comparative Education (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,400 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,000 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,900 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Master's Degree) | $39,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degree) | $39,300 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,100 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,700 |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degree) | $37,500 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,300 |
| Religion/Religious Studies (Master's Degree) | $36,300 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,900 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,300 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,300 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=198419 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Duke University.