How much money do University of Kentucky graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $43,800 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $51,000 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 Kentucky graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering with a median starting salary of $65,800 followed by Mining and Mineral Engineering paying $65,100 and Chemical Engineering graduates who have a median starting income of $63,300 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificate) program rank first with a median initial income of $115,200 followed by Dentistry (First Professional Degree) at $107,500 and Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) who earn $89,300 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for University of Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificate) | $115,200 |
| Dentistry (First Professional Degree) | $107,500 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) | $89,300 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degree) | $88,300 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) | $87,800 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degree) | $68,900 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $65,800 |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $65,100 |
| Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,300 |
| Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $63,300 |
| Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) | $61,500 |
| Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $59,600 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $58,300 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) | $57,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,800 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $56,500 |
| Law (First Professional Degree) | $54,400 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degree) | $54,200 |
| Medicine (First Professional Degree) | $54,000 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $52,300 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,800 |
| Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) | $49,600 |
| Architecture (Master's Degree) | $48,900 |
| Public Health (Master's Degree) | $48,900 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) | $47,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $46,700 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $45,300 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $41,300 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,900 |
| Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,800 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,600 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $39,600 |
| Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $39,500 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) | $38,600 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) | $37,400 |
| Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,800 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $36,200 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) | $35,500 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,700 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,600 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,400 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,300 |
| Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,800 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,800 |
| Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,700 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $32,600 |
| Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) | $31,900 |
| Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,900 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,400 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,700 |
| Agricultural Production Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,800 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,800 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,500 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,400 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,300 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,200 |
| Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,000 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,000 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,000 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,900 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,900 |
| International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,600 |
| Agricultural Public Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,000 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,900 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,700 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,600 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $18,000 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=157085 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for University of Kentucky.