WVU Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at West Virginia University

This page shows median first-year earnings for WVU 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 $38,000 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $50,600. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Mining and Mineral Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $66,800 , followed by Industrial Engineering at $65,400 , and Mechanical Engineering at $63,600 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree), with median first-year earnings of $115,400 , followed by Dentistry (First Professional Degree) at $109,700 , and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) at $94,500 .

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

Median first-year earnings for West Virginia University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) $115,400
Dentistry (First Professional Degree) $109,700
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $94,500
Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) $80,800
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degree) $76,000
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degree) $70,200
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,800
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,400
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,600
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,200
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,500
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,100
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,300
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,200
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $58,800
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) $58,200
Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,600
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $57,500
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,800
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,700
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $54,900
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $53,400
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $53,000
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) $52,400
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $51,800
Law (First Professional Degree) $51,100
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,500
Public Health (Master's Degree) $48,300
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,000
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,600
Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,500
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) $40,400
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,800
Education (Master's Degree) $39,300
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) $39,200
Social Work (Master's Degree) $38,900
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) $38,300
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,100
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $37,100
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,300
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,500
Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,400
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,400
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,700
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,100
Criminology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,900
Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,800
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,500
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,000
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,000
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,200
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,600
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,300
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,800
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,600
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,400
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,100
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,300
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,300
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,200
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,800
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,700
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $21,900
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $19,400
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $18,900
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $15,500

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering West Virginia University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=238032.

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

Last updated: August 2026