How much money do Western Kentucky University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $30,000 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $37,100 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 WKU graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Mechanical Engineering with a median starting salary of $60,000 followed by Construction Engineering Technologies paying $57,600 and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing graduates who have a median starting income of $56,300 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $85,200 followed by Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) at $74,400 and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) who earn $55,000 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Western Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=157951 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Western Kentucky University.