Western Kentucky University campus

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WKU Salaries

  • 3/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • Bowling Green, KY
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#6 Best Public Universities in Kentucky
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Western Kentucky University

This page shows median first-year earnings for WKU 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 $30,000 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $37,100. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Mechanical Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $60,000 , followed by Construction Engineering Technologies at $57,600 , and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at $56,300 .

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 $85,200 , followed by Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) at $74,400 , and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $55,000 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Western Kentucky University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $85,200
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) $74,400
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,000
Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,600
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,300
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $55,000
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $54,900
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $51,800
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degree) $50,400
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,100
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,200
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,900
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,300
Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) $42,400
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Master's Degree) $41,400
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,200
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $40,000
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) $39,900
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,000
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) $37,700
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,500
Psychology (Master's Degree) $36,800
Social Work (Master's Degree) $36,200
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,900
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,300
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,500
Social Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,400
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,200
Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,200
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,600
Agriculture (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,500
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,300
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,300
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,200
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,100
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,400
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,200
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,700
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,300
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,600
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,500
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,300
Criminology (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,400
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,100
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,400
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,900
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,700
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,300
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degree) $18,100

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Western Kentucky University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=157951.

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

Last updated: August 2026