How much money do James Madison University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $43,500 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $60,300 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 JMU graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Information Science/Studies with a median starting salary of $68,400 followed by Computer and Information Sciences paying $67,900 and Finance and Financial Management Services graduates who have a median starting income of $62,100 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $109,400 followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $86,100 and Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) who earn $67,500 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for James Madison 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 |
|---|---|
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) | $109,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $86,100 |
| Information Science/Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $68,400 |
| Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $67,900 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) | $67,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $62,500 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,100 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $61,900 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $57,100 |
| Systems Science and Theory (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,600 |
| Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,100 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $54,800 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,600 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,300 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,300 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,100 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) | $48,000 |
| Science, Technology and Society (Bachelor’s Degree) | $47,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $46,900 |
| Education (Master's Degree) | $45,900 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $44,600 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $43,200 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,500 |
| International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,700 |
| Public Administration (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,900 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) | $39,900 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,300 |
| Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) | $37,700 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,900 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,700 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,300 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,700 |
| Music (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,600 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,100 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,800 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,500 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,300 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,500 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,200 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,200 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,000 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,900 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,300 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,100 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,700 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,200 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,900 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $17,600 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=232423 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for James Madison University.