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Career outcomes brief

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# Mississippi State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Mississippi State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $59,311 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$6,299 per year.

At Mississippi State University, the return picture falls near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 48th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) is negative: Graduates earn about $2,513 less than the model expects for similar students. That result is in the 46th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,315. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,828.

Four years after completion, federally aided completers working and not enrolled have median earnings of $59,311, in the 48th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610, leaving earnings $6,299 below it. The below-peer median and below-expected earnings point in the same direction.

At Mississippi State University, earnings scenarios indicate that earnings can differ sharply by field. The downside scenario is $41,041, whereas the upside scenario is $85,819 four years after completion; these scenarios model lower- and higher-earning program clusters rather than observed groups.

Near the upper end, Electrical Engineering has median earnings of $106,039 four years after completion. Chemical Engineering posts $95,968, and Construction Management posts $94,068 on the same basis. Those program figures sit on the higher-earning side of the modeled spread.

An estimated 29.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings include completers who are working and not enrolled, so the median describes that portion of graduates rather than those continuing their education.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$59,311

**Rank for difference from expectations**
46th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Mississippi State University reported median**
$59,311

**Peer schools comparable schools · $6,299 above Mississippi State University**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $2,513 above Mississippi State University**
$61,824

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 $41,041 to $85,819, around the reported median of $59,311. Compare the lower scenario with [Mississippi State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/mississippi-state-university/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**
$41,041

**Median · reported**
$59,311

**Higher estimate**
$85,819

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 Mississippi State 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](/methodology/#value-added).

Mississippi State University graduates’ reported earnings are $2,513 below that expectation, the 46th 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 Mississippi State University 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.**
+$10,315

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$12,828

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$2,513

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

## Which fields at Mississippi State University report the highest earnings?

The selected programs show distinctly different four-year earnings, with higher-earning technical fields alongside more moderate figures elsewhere. Chemical Engineering records median earnings of $95,968 four years after completion and 73 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #72 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Mechanical Engineering shows $93,893 and 165 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #85 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Interior Architecture has median earnings of $61,421 four years after completion across 29 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Agricultural Business and Management reports $78,998 with 38 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #11 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The displayed medians are higher in the first pair of fields than in the latter pair.

Program choice matters here because nationally ranked fields show a wide range of earnings four years after completion. Azimuth assigns national ranks to 47 bachelor's programs, while 48 fields have published earnings data.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians #6 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; it awarded 36 degrees and its median earnings are $36,617 four years after completion. Interior Architecture ranks #8 nationally, awarded 29 degrees, and shows $61,421 in median earnings.

Engineering ranks #9 nationally, with 29 degrees awarded and $91,124 in earnings. Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management ranks #10 nationally in its field, awarded 69 degrees, and has median earnings of $45,445. National standing and earnings should be read field by field.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$106,039

**Chemical Engineering**
$95,968

**Construction Management**
$94,068

**Mechanical Engineering**
$93,893

**Industrial Engineering**
$92,332

**Engineering, Other**
$91,124

**Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**
$88,444

**Computer Engineering**
$85,275

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

## Further analysis

Program mix scenarios show a wide range in earnings by field. The downside earnings scenario is $41,041, the typical scenario is $59,311, and the upside scenario is $85,819.

Electrical Engineering reaches $106,039 four years after completion, while Teacher Education is at $40,431. The spread makes field choice central to reading the school-level median.

Four years after completion, the median for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $59,311 at Mississippi State University, drawn from an earnings cohort of 3,777. The comparable-institution median (same type and size) is $65,610; the university is $6,299 below that figure.

That earnings level falls at the 48th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,513 less than the model expects for similar students.

This metric captures the gap between actual graduate earnings and what the model expects for similar students. That outcome sits at the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $41,041 on the downside to $85,819 on the upside, with $59,311 as the typical figure. An estimated 29.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The median sits below both the peer benchmark and the model's expectation, while the scenarios span a wide range around that figure.

## 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/).