How much money do Appalachian State University graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $31,900 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $41,600 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 ASU graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Computer Science with a median starting salary of $58,800 followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing paying $55,600 and Management Information Systems and Services graduates who have a median starting income of $52,300 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $59,500 followed by Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) at $55,700 and Public Administration (Master's Degree) who earn $52,000 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Appalachian State 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 |
|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degree) | $59,500 |
| Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) | $58,800 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) | $55,700 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $55,600 |
| Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $52,300 |
| Public Administration (Master's Degree) | $52,000 |
| Construction Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $50,900 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) | $50,400 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Master's Degree) | $50,100 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $49,300 |
| Insurance (Bachelor’s Degree) | $49,300 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) | $48,100 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) | $46,600 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degree) | $44,800 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) | $42,100 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) | $41,300 |
| Social Work (Master's Degree) | $41,300 |
| Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,900 |
| Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $40,000 |
| Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) | $39,900 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) | $38,400 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $38,400 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) | $37,400 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,800 |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,600 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) | $36,300 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,700 |
| Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,300 |
| Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) | $35,200 |
| International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,600 |
| Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,500 |
| Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,200 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $33,100 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,800 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $31,000 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,000 |
| Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,400 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,900 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,800 |
| Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,700 |
| Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,900 |
| Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,900 |
| Geography and Cartography (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) | $25,700 |
| Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,400 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,000 |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) | $24,000 |
| Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,900 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,400 |
| International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,900 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $22,100 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,700 |
| History (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,600 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,500 |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,300 |
| English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,300 |
| Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,200 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) | $15,800 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $15,600 |
| Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) | $15,200 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $15,000 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=197869 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Appalachian State University.