1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Missouri Western State University](/school/missouri-western-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Missouri Western State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 27, 2026 [Overview](/school/missouri-western-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/missouri-western-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/missouri-western-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/missouri-western-state-university/majors/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Missouri Western State University graduates earn? The reported median is $53,293 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$4,008 per year. Return is mixed: model-based and peer comparisons point in different directions. Azimuth assigns the university's return pillar to the 48th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,214 more than the model expects for similar students. That [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/)—the gap between graduate earnings and the model's expectation for similar students—falls in the 79th 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 $2,158. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,056. Federally aided completers working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,293 four years after completion, in the 27th percentile. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median—the middle value—is $57,301; the university is $4,008 below that figure. The above-expected model result and below-peer earnings point in different directions. The modeled earnings range is broad, and named fields show why outcomes can differ by program. Scenarios based on the program mix run from $42,018 on the downside to $73,371 on the upside, with $53,293 as the typical scenario; these are scenarios, not observed groups. Among the higher-earning named fields, median earnings four years after completion are $74,875 in Nursing, $68,405 in Computer and Information Sciences, and $67,011 in Finance. Individual program medians can extend beyond a scenario endpoint because the scenarios summarize the full program mix rather than predict one graduate’s result. The reported four-year earnings figure excludes completers who are enrolled in further education. An estimated 27.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. That estimate helps frame the earnings median because some graduates pursuing further study are outside the working, not-enrolled earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $53,293 **Rank for difference from expectations** 79th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Missouri Western State University reported median** $53,293 **Peer schools comparable schools · $4,008 above Missouri Western State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $8,214 below Missouri Western State University** $45,079 School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. Peer comparisons and model expectations are different benchmarks. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $42,018 to $73,371, around the reported median of $53,293. Compare the lower scenario with [Missouri Western State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/missouri-western-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** $42,018 **Median · reported** $53,293 **Higher estimate** $73,371 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 Missouri Western 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). Missouri Western State University graduates’ reported earnings are $8,214 above that expectation, the 79th 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 Missouri Western 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.** +$2,158 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$6,056 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$8,214 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Missouri Western State University report the highest earnings? At Missouri Western State University, earnings differ across fields, so the higher-earning options in this group sit apart from its more moderate entries four years after completion. Nursing has median earnings of $74,875 and 104 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences follows with $68,405 in median earnings and 5 degrees awarded. Finance records median earnings of $67,011 across 17 degrees awarded, placing it between the leading fields and the more moderate end of this selection. Accounting posts $60,025 with 26 degrees awarded. The contrast shows that field choice matters within the university’s earnings picture. Health Professions is the largest program family, accounting for 19.0% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, and program earnings are available for 19 fields. The largest programs span markedly different earnings levels four years after completion. Nursing awarded 104 degrees, with median earnings of $74,875 four years after completion. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies awarded 57 degrees and had median earnings of $51,174 four years after completion. Kinesiology and Physical Education awarded 50 degrees, with median earnings of $45,251 four years after completion. Business Administration and Management awarded 40 degrees and had median earnings of $62,581 four years after completion. Biology awarded 37 degrees, with median earnings of $53,505 four years after completion. The chart shows up to eight fields with the highest reported median earnings four years after completion. Compare the field names as well as the amounts: the school-wide median can conceal substantial differences between programs. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $74,875 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $68,405 **Finance and Financial Management Services** $67,011 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** $62,581 **Accounting and Related Services** $60,025 **Marketing** $57,015 **Communication and Media Studies** $55,059 **Biology, General** $53,505 [Explore Missouri Western State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/missouri-western-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Program-mix scenarios place earnings at $42,018 on the downside, $53,293 in the typical case, and $73,371 on the upside. Nursing has median earnings of $74,875 four years after completion, whereas Kinesiology and Physical Education—the lowest-earning among the largest programs—has $45,251. The modeled range shows variation by field. Missouri Western State University shows higher-than-expected modeled earnings even though its schoolwide earnings standing is low in Azimuth’s distribution. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $53,293 four years after completion. Azimuth places that measure in the 27th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 945 completers. Graduates earn about $8,214 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) are the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. Scenarios modeled from the program mix range from $42,018 on the downside to $73,371 on the upside, and the typical scenario matches the schoolwide median. An estimated 27.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Above-expected modeled earnings and the low schoolwide earnings standing pull in different directions. ## Data & methodology A missing figure does not mean zero. 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/).