The University of Tennessee Knoxville campus

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Tennessee Salaries

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  • 4 Year
  • Knoxville, TN
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at The University of Tennessee Knoxville

This page shows median first-year earnings for Tennessee 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 $40,800 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $56,300. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Nuclear Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $71,100 , followed by Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at $66,300 , and Industrial Engineering at $65,000 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Dentistry (First Professional Degree), with median first-year earnings of $131,800 , followed by Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) at $95,700 , and Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $93,000 .

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

Median first-year earnings for The University of Tennessee Knoxville graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Dentistry (First Professional Degree) $131,800
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) $95,700
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $93,000
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) $92,600
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $86,100
Nuclear Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $71,100
Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degree) $69,200
Civil Engineering (Master's Degree) $68,300
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,300
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,000
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,700
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,600
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $62,300
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $59,600
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $54,500
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,600
Law (First Professional Degree) $53,000
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,300
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $51,800
Public Health (Master's Degree) $50,900
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,600
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,500
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,800
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,600
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,700
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,600
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,300
Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) $41,200
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) $40,300
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Master's Degree) $39,100
Social Work (Master's Degree) $38,500
Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,500
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,200
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degree) $38,000
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,900
Food Science and Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,100
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) $35,300
Social Work (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $34,800
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,700
Soil Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,300
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,600
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,400
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,200
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,800
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,600
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,900
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,700
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,500
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,100
Music (Master's Degree) $29,100
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,800
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,200
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,900
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,900
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,700
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,000
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,800
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,500
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,200
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,200
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,000
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,600
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,400
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,800
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $21,800
Nutrition Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $21,300
Plant Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $20,200
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $15,500

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering The University of Tennessee Knoxville often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=221759.

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

Last updated: August 2026