Career outcomes brief

Minnesota State University-Mankato Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

How much do Minnesota State University-Mankato graduates earn?

The reported median is $64,235 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is -$1,375 per year.

Graduates of Minnesota State University-Mankato earn about $2,188 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,972.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,784. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $491.

Four years after completion, completers earn a median of $64,235, which places the university in the 63rd percentile nationally. That figure sits below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $1,375.

Azimuth ranks the return at the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings beyond expectations and the peer comparison point in different directions: graduates outpace the model but land just below the peer median, a mixed return picture.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range between the downside and upside estimates, a spread that follows the mix of programs at the university. The downside earnings scenario sits at $50,643, while the upside reaches $88,735.

At the higher end, Air Transportation graduates earn $103,858 four years after completion, from 75 degrees awarded. Construction Management follows at $102,090, with 57 degrees awarded.

Computer and Information Sciences rounds out the top three at $95,398, from 89 degrees awarded.

An estimated 25.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings do not reflect the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $64,235
Rank for difference from expectations: 63rd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Minnesota State University-Mankato reported median: $64,235
Peer schools comparable schools · $1,375 above Minnesota State University-Mankato: $65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,188 below Minnesota State University-Mankato: $62,047

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?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $50,643
Median · reported: $64,235
Higher estimate: $88,735

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 Minnesota State University-Mankato 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.

Minnesota State University-Mankato graduates’ reported earnings are $2,188 above that expectation, the 63rd 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 Minnesota State University-Mankato caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Minnesota State University-Mankato report the highest earnings?

The university's strongest nationally ranked programs now include high-earning technical fields. Air Transportation has an Azimuth national rank of #3 and median earnings of $103,858 four years after completion, alongside 75 degrees awarded.

Construction Management follows at #4 nationally, with 57 degrees awarded and median earnings of $102,090. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences rounds out the ranked programs at #6 nationally, with 48 degrees awarded and median earnings of $52,041.

The contrast with the university's highest-earning fields is sharp: Air Transportation reaches $103,858 with 75 degrees awarded, while Construction Management shows $102,090 on 57 degrees awarded. The highest-earning programs include Air Transportation at $103,858 and Construction Management at $102,090.

Minnesota State University-Mankato has 32 bachelor's programs with an Azimuth national rank, and earnings data are available for 44 fields. Nursing is the largest program, with 327 degrees awarded and a median of $82,429 four years after completion.

Marketing awarded 117 degrees and shows a median of $68,772 four years after completion. The nationally ranked fields include Air Transportation, which sits at #3 and #1 in Minnesota.

The program awarded 75 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $103,858 four years after completion. Construction Management ranks #4 nationally and #1 in Minnesota, with 57 degrees awarded.

Its completers earn a median of $102,090 four years after completion. Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences ranks #6 nationally and #1 in Minnesota, with 48 degrees awarded. Its completers earn a median of $52,041 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

Air Transportation: $103,858
Construction Management: $102,090
Computer and Information Sciences, General: $95,398
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering: $85,655
Mechanical Engineering: $85,286
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians: $83,115
Engineering, General: $82,903
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing: $82,429

Explore Minnesota State University-Mankato program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

The spread between the university's earnings scenarios—a downside of $50,643, a typical outcome of $64,235, and an upside of $88,735—reflects the mix of fields on campus. Among the largest programs, Nursing reaches $82,429 four years after completion, while Psychology sits at $52,859. The highest-earning program overall, Air Transportation, reaches $103,858.

Among 3,081 federally aided completers at Minnesota State University-Mankato, the median four years after completion is $64,235 for those working and not enrolled. That is $1,375 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That places the earnings measure in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,188 more than the model expects for similar students.

The metric captures the gap between actual graduate earnings and the model's expectation for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $50,643 on the downside to $88,735 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $64,235.

These are estimates, not observed outcomes for a specific group. An estimated 25.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

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.