Ball State University campus

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BSU Salaries

  • 5/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • Muncie, IN
  • 4.6 5 reviews
#4 Best Public Universities in Indiana
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Ball State University

This page shows median first-year earnings for BSU 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 $33,300 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $42,500. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, with median first-year earnings of $60,900 , followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at $55,400 , and Management Information Systems and Services at $53,100 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $89,900 , followed by Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) at $69,400 , and Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree) at $66,800 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Ball State University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $89,900
Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) $69,400
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree) $66,800
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,900
Business/Commerce (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $56,400
Educational Administration and Supervision (Post-baccalaureate Certificate) $56,000
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,400
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) $53,200
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $53,100
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,100
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $51,900
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,500
Special Education and Teaching (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $47,200
Journalism (Master's Degree) $46,900
Architecture (Master's Degree) $46,700
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) $46,400
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $45,300
Landscape Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,100
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Master's Degree) $43,800
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) $43,000
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,600
Special Education and Teaching (Post-baccalaureate Certificate) $42,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,600
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) $40,800
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,700
Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,200
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) $37,700
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,000
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,900
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,200
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,200
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,000
Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,800
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,300
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,200
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,100
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,400
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,000
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,800
Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,800
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,300
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,300
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,200
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,000
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,800
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,600
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degree) $30,000
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,200
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,500
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,500
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,200
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,300
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,000
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,200
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $19,700
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $18,300

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Ball State University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=150136.

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

Last updated: August 2026