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Career outcomes brief

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# Minnesota State University Moorhead Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/)[Cost & aid](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/admissions/)[Majors](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/similar/)

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## How much do Minnesota State University Moorhead graduates earn?

The reported median is $55,083 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$2,218 per year.

Return is the weaker part of the picture at Minnesota State University Moorhead, even though affordability is its strongest pillar. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 22nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $11,834 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sit in the 14th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $4,082. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $15,916.

Median earnings are $55,083 four years after completion, in the 33rd percentile. That is $2,218 below the peer median of $57,301 at comparable institutions, the middle value for institutions with the same type and size.

Earnings vary across fields, so the model offers a range rather than a single outcome. Its downside earnings scenario is $44,539, compared with $55,083 in the typical scenario and $76,306 in the upside scenario.

Across 23 programs with published earnings data, Construction Management shows median earnings of $93,431 four years after completion, Nursing shows $86,563, and Information Science/Studies shows $74,016. These field figures show why the schoolwide median cannot describe every outcome.

An estimated 26.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the school-wide median: some graduates pursuing further study are outside that earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$55,083

**Rank for difference from expectations**
14th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Minnesota State University Moorhead reported median**
$55,083

**Peer schools comparable schools · $2,218 above Minnesota State University Moorhead**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $11,834 above Minnesota State University Moorhead**
$66,917

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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $44,539 to $76,306, around the reported median of $55,083. Compare the lower scenario with [Minnesota State University Moorhead borrowing and monthly payments](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/cost/) 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**
$44,539

**Median · reported**
$55,083

**Higher estimate**
$76,306

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](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do Minnesota State University Moorhead 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](/methodology/#value-added).

Minnesota State University Moorhead graduates’ reported earnings are $11,834 below that expectation, the 14th 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 Moorhead caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$4,082

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$15,916

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$11,834

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

## Which fields at Minnesota State University Moorhead report the highest earnings?

At Minnesota State University Moorhead, program-level earnings vary enough that a schoolwide figure can obscure the difference between higher- and moderate-earning fields. Construction Management posts median earnings of $93,431 four years after completion, alongside 21 degrees awarded.

Nursing follows with $86,563 and 85 degrees awarded. The larger programs show a different middle range.

Business Administration and Management records $64,466 in median earnings four years after completion and 141 degrees awarded, while Teacher Education records $45,142 and 86 degrees awarded. The spread across these fields makes program choice central to reading the return picture.

Program-level figures show that outcomes differ across fields, so the collegewide earnings number is only a starting point. The published medians below are for completers four years after completion and pair each field’s earnings with degrees awarded in one academic year.

Construction Management awarded 21 degrees and had median earnings of $93,431. Nursing awarded 85 degrees and had median earnings of $86,563.

Information Science/Studies awarded 15 degrees and had median earnings of $74,016. These fields give a more specific view of the earnings range than a schoolwide figure alone.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Construction Management**
$93,431

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$86,563

**Information Science/Studies**
$74,016

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
$67,054

**Accounting and Related Services**
$65,476

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$64,466

**Biology, General**
$64,455

**Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**
$57,260

[Explore Minnesota State University Moorhead program cohorts and field ranks](/school/minnesota-state-university-moorhead/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

At Minnesota State University Moorhead, earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix run from $44,539 in the downside case to $76,306 in the upside case, with $55,083 as the typical scenario. The range reflects variation by field: Construction Management posts $93,431 four years after completion, versus Teacher Education at $45,142 among the largest programs.

Affordability is the stronger part of the picture at Minnesota State University Moorhead, while graduate earnings are less favorable. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled report median earnings of $55,083 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,305 completers. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is negative here.

Graduates earn about $11,834 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios run from a downside of $44,539 to an upside of $76,306, with the typical scenario matching the reported median.

An estimated 26.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario range shows varied modeled outcomes alongside below-expected earnings.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).