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Western Illinois University Salaries

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  • 4 Year
  • Macomb, IL
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#8 Best Public Universities in Illinois
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Western Illinois University

This page shows median first-year earnings for Western Illinois University graduates by major, based on federal College Scorecard data. Six years after enrolling, former students who are working and no longer in school report average earnings of $35,000 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $46,000. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

Below, majors are ranked by median first-year earnings.

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Engineering Technology, with median first-year earnings of $55,700 , followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at $55,200 , and Construction Management at $48,900 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $71,700 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $61,800 , and Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) at $52,900 .

First-year earnings data come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and reflect IRS-reported income for Western Illinois University graduates who received federal grants or loans. Some programs are omitted for privacy.

Median first-year earnings for Western Illinois University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) $71,700
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $61,800
Engineering Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,700
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,200
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $52,900
Construction Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,900
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $48,400
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degree) $48,000
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $47,200
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) $45,600
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,000
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,200
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,100
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,400
Agriculture (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,800
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,700
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,700
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,400
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) $36,800
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,700
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) $36,200
Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,100
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,300
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,000
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,800
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,100
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,600
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,000
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,200
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,400
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,900
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,500
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,700
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,600
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,500
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,400
Graphic Communications (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,400
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,200
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,000
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,700

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Western Illinois University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=149772.

First-year earnings by major: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Last updated: August 2026