Western Kentucky University Rankings by Salary Score™
Bachelor's
Master's
Salary and Debt by Major at Western Kentucky University
We calculated a Salary Score for each of Western Kentucky University's programs by comparing program-specific median alumni earnings to median alumni earnings for the same program across all schools that provide this data. This way, students can compare the relative salary strength of a specific major at Western Kentucky University to the same major at other schools. A school's overall score by level is based on the school's by-program performance weighted by student enrollment in each program. Data is sourced from the December 2020 release of the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and reflects median alumni debt upon graduation and median alumni earnings in the year after graduation for students who received federal financial aid. Debt and salary numbers are shown rounded to the nearest $10.
Salary Score ™ for WKU Associate Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $17,780 | $26,350 | |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $18,500 | $52,840 |
Salary Score ™ for WKU Bachelor's Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | $25,000 | $41,570 | |
| Agriculture, General | $21,980 | $31,830 | |
| Anthropology | $21,750 | $21,510 | |
| Apparel and Textiles | $27,000 | $31,130 | |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $23,250 | $41,570 | |
| Biology, General | $22,200 | $22,900 | |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $23,000 | $36,670 | |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Not Reported | $44,380 | |
| Civil Engineering | $31,000 | $47,650 | |
| Communication and Media Studies | $24,750 | $33,990 | |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $19,500 | $50,230 | |
| Construction Engineering Technologies | Not Reported | $59,580 | |
| Criminology | $20,500 | $28,130 | |
| Dance | Not Reported | $18,770 | |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | $25,000 | $42,360 | |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $23,250 | $20,480 | |
| Economics | $14,000 | $43,430 | |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering | Not Reported | $72,650 | |
| English Language and Literature, General | $25,000 | $25,190 | |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | Not Reported | $33,380 | |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $23,000 | $41,340 | |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $26,050 | $26,060 | |
| Geography and Cartography | Not Reported | $32,930 | |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Not Reported | $36,990 | |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $28,500 | $33,690 | |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness | $25,650 | $27,540 | |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $21,500 | $28,240 | |
| History | $26,080 | $27,180 | |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | $23,250 | $26,120 | |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | $24,690 | $53,360 | |
| Journalism | $26,000 | $29,370 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $28,750 | $30,800 | |
| Management Information Systems and Services | $18,290 | $42,310 | |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $23,100 | $43,800 | |
| Marketing | $21,500 | $38,290 | |
| Mathematics | $21,500 | $34,700 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | $18,720 | $65,440 | |
| Music | $30,600 | $27,150 | |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management | $30,000 | $24,040 | |
| Political Science and Government | $24,250 | $28,960 | |
| Psychology, General | $22,390 | $26,220 | |
| Public Health | $29,750 | $34,530 | |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $23,050 | $33,820 | |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $27,000 | $25,190 | |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $23,500 | $55,700 | |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $18,940 | $25,970 | |
| Social Sciences, General | $27,000 | $29,140 | |
| Social Work | $24,500 | $33,570 | |
| Sociology | $26,000 | $28,720 | |
| Special Education and Teaching | $21,000 | $34,700 | |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $23,110 | $33,170 | |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $27,370 | $30,990 |
Salary Score ™ for WKU Master's Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $30,750 | $52,420 | |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | $37,980 | $38,560 | |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | $41,000 | $49,570 | |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Not Reported | $58,670 | |
| Library Science and Administration | $20,500 | $43,640 | |
| Mathematics | Not Reported | $44,360 | |
| Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management | $30,750 | $45,620 | |
| Psychology, General | $34,000 | $44,840 | |
| Public Health | Not Reported | $38,290 | |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $32,570 | $82,880 | |
| Social Work | $27,640 | $38,080 | |
| Special Education and Teaching | $27,480 | $40,900 | |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | $38,500 | $37,210 | |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $30,750 | $40,540 | |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Not Reported | $39,640 |
Salary Score ™ for WKU Doctoral Degrees
| Field of Study | Employment Rate | Median Debt | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Not Reported | $63,010 | |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | $92,240 | $72,650 |
Reviews by Program
Most Recent Reviews
Would highly recommend not giving this school your money. Not sure how other departments are, but the MFGE instructors have a 'holier than thou' mentality paired with poor online instruction. Majority provided 0 lesson plans/help, relied on sites like Mcgraw Hill instead of actually teaching themselves. It's not hard to video a lecture and post it for online students to review. Advisor has 0 respect for students, even though I can gaurentee I triple his yearly salary at half his age. Will not return to this... Read More
At WKU I feel like the education program was great. However, the requirements that were established for an English/Literature emphasis I believe were entirely too rigorous. I was taking 18-19 hours per semester, and felt overwhelmed with all of the work I had to do just so I could graduate in the 4 years. WKU's tuition rates I believe were also super inflated compared to it's competitors in size and geographical area. However, I enjoyed my time at the school. I just felt overall, that the school focused more... Read More