How much money do West Virginia University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $38,000 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $50,600 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 WVU graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Mining and Mineral Engineering with a median starting salary of $66,800 followed by Industrial Engineering paying $65,400 and Mechanical Engineering graduates who have a median starting income of $63,600 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $115,400 followed by Dentistry (First Professional Degree) at $109,700 and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) who earn $94,500 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for West Virginia 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 |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) | $115,400 |
| Dentistry (First Professional Degree) | $109,700 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) | $94,500 |
| Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) | $80,800 |
| Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degree) | $76,000 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degree) | $70,200 |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $66,800 |
| Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $65,400 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,600 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,200 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,500 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $62,100 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $60,300 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $60,200 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $58,800 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) | $58,200 |
| Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $57,600 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $57,500 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,800 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $55,700 |
| Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $54,900 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $53,400 |
| Medicine (First Professional Degree) | $53,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) | $52,400 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $51,800 |
| Law (First Professional Degree) | $51,100 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $48,500 |
| Public Health (Master's Degree) | $48,300 |
| Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,000 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,600 |
| Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,500 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) | $40,400 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,800 |
| Education (Master's Degree) | $39,300 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) | $39,200 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $38,900 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $38,300 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,100 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $37,100 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,300 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,500 |
| Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,400 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,400 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,100 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,700 |
| Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,100 |
| Criminology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,900 |
| Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,800 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,500 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,200 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,600 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,300 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,800 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,600 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,400 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,100 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,300 |
| Music (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,300 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,200 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,800 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,700 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,900 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,400 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $18,900 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $15,500 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=238032 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for West Virginia University.