College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Lamar University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Lamar University graduates earn?

The reported median is $66,816 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $9,515 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $66,816. That figure sits at the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and is $9,515 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $11,623 more than expects for similar students. That gap sits at the 86th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $2,429. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $9,194. Azimuth places the return at the 76th percentile.

At Lamar University, earnings scenarios show a broad earnings range, from $49,128 in the downside scenario to $94,884 in the upside scenario four years after completion. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups, and published earnings cover 32 programs.

The upper end includes Electrical Engineering at $103,037 four years after completion, Chemical Engineering at $101,018, and Mechanical Engineering at $97,159. Those program medians sit well above the downside scenario.

An estimated 26.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four years after completion, earnings cover federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the median.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$66,816
Rank for difference from expectations
86th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Lamar University reported median
$66,816
Peer schools comparable schools · $9,515 below Lamar University
$57,301
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $11,623 below Lamar University
$55,193

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 $49,128 to $94,884, around the reported median of $66,816. Compare the lower scenario with Lamar University 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
$49,128
Median · reported
$66,816
Higher estimate
$94,884

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 Lamar University 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.

Lamar University graduates’ reported earnings are $11,623 above that expectation, the 86th 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 Lamar University 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.
+$2,429
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$9,194
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$11,623

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

Which fields at Lamar University report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning programs at Lamar University are concentrated in engineering, and they are not the largest by enrollment. Electrical Engineering graduates earn a median of $103,037 four years after completion, from 31 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks the program #65 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering follow, with medians of $101,018 and $97,159 and 46 and 66 degrees awarded, respectively.

Nursing, the second-largest program at 169 degrees a year, also reaches the higher end at $93,709. The largest program, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, awards 258 degrees and posts a more moderate median of $54,116.

Azimuth ranks it #44 nationally. The earnings picture is split: the biggest programs sit at the middle of the range, while the strongest returns come from smaller engineering fields.

Azimuth ranks 20 of the university's programs nationally, with earnings data available for 32 fields. The best-paid programs are in engineering, and the largest program by degrees awarded sits in a different family with lower earnings.

Electrical Engineering leads at $103,037, with 31 degrees awarded and a national rank of #65. Chemical Engineering follows at $101,018 (46 degrees, ranked #46), and Mechanical Engineering at $97,159 (66 degrees, ranked #89).

Nursing, the largest program on the list, awards 169 degrees, earns $93,709, and is ranked #107. The largest program by degrees is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, with 258 degrees awarded and median earnings of $54,116.

Azimuth ranks it #44 within its field. The spread between that figure and the engineering programs above is wide.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$103,037
Chemical Engineering
$101,018
Mechanical Engineering
$97,159
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$93,709
Industrial Engineering
$91,806
Civil Engineering
$89,250
Accounting and Related Services
$87,924
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
$87,113

Explore Lamar University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Lamar's modeled range shows that earnings vary by field. Scenarios grounded in the program mix place the downside at $49,128, the typical outcome at $66,816, and the upside at $94,884.

Electrical Engineering, the highest-earning program, has median earnings of $103,037 four years after completion; among the largest programs, Liberal Arts and General Studies is lowest at $50,753. These are scenarios, not observed groups.

The earnings picture is above the national middle: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled at Lamar University earn a median of $66,816 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings median in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 2,753 completers.

Completers earn about $11,623 more than the model expects for similar students four years after completion. The typical earnings scenario is $66,816, alongside a downside scenario of $49,128 and an upside scenario of $94,884.

An estimated 26.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The median earnings and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction, while the scenarios show that program mix still matters.

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.