College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Florida State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do FSU graduates earn?

The reported median is $66,924 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $1,314 per year.

Florida State University places in the 65th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $700 more than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a figure in the 57th percentile nationally.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,696. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,996.

The STEM component adds $1,578 within the measured factors. Four years after completion, median earnings for working, non-enrolled completers reach $66,924, in the 70th percentile.

That median is above the $65,610 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,314.

The downside scenario for Florida State University is $51,151, while the upside scenario reaches $90,221, a range that shows the variation in earnings across the university's program clusters. Among the programs with published earnings, Computer Engineering completers see a median of $114,802 four years after completion, and Management Information Systems and Services completers earn a median of $103,648.

The largest program, Psychology, which awarded 818 degrees, shows a median of $54,728. The second-largest, Finance, awarded 589 degrees and reports a median of $87,089.

An estimated 30.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the institution's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$66,924
Rank for difference from expectations
57th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
FSU reported median
$66,924
Peer schools comparable schools · $1,314 below FSU
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $700 below FSU
$66,224

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $51,151 to $90,221, around the reported median of $66,924. Compare the lower scenario with FSU borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$51,151
Median · reported
$66,924
Higher estimate
$90,221

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do FSU graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

FSU graduates’ reported earnings are $700 above that expectation, the 57th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending FSU caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$11,696
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$10,996
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$700

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at FSU report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning programs at Florida State University are concentrated in technical and quantitative fields, and they are not the largest by enrollment. Computer Engineering leads with median earnings of $114,802 four years after completion, from 34 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #58 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Management Information Systems and Services follows at $103,648, with 127 degrees awarded and a national rank of #10.

The largest program, Psychology, awards 818 degrees a year and posts a more moderate median of $54,728, ranked #69 nationally. A handful of smaller programs sit at the top of their fields.

Security Science and Technology is ranked #1 nationally with earnings of $93,841 from 38 degrees awarded. The earnings picture across the university is broad, with the highest payoffs in fields that graduate relatively few students.

Florida State University has 58 nationally ranked bachelor's programs among nonprofit four-year institutions. The strongest is Security Science and Technology, ranked #1 nationally and #1 in Florida, with 38 degrees awarded and median earnings of $93,841 four years after completion.

Human Development and Family Studies follows at #5 nationally (#1 in Florida), with 274 degrees awarded and median earnings of $62,663. Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology is ranked #5 nationally and #1 in Florida, awarding 23 degrees and showing median earnings of $66,943.

Apparel and Textiles holds the #6 spot nationally (#1 in Florida), with 95 degrees awarded and median earnings of $64,807. Insurance rounds out the top five at #7 nationally (#1 in Florida), with 112 degrees awarded and median earnings of $92,064.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Computer Engineering
$114,802
Management Information Systems and Services
$103,648
Industrial Engineering
$96,504
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$94,887
Security Science and Technology
$93,841
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$93,740
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$93,727
Insurance
$92,064

Explore FSU program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: a downside of $51,151, a typical outcome of $66,924, and an upside reaching $90,221. Among the largest programs, Finance reaches $87,089 at the high end, while Psychology sits at $54,728 at the lower end.

Florida State University completers show a median of $66,924 four years after completion, drawn from a cohort of 9,273 federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled. That median sits above the $65,610 median of comparable institutions (same type and size) and places the university in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $700 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings scenarios that reflect the university's program mix point to a typical outcome of $66,924, a downside scenario of $51,151, and an upside scenario of $90,221.

An estimated 30.9% of the programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.