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Career outcomes brief

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# Morehead State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much do Morehead State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $50,224 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$7,077 per year.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled show median earnings of $50,224. That figure falls in the 18th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

It sits $7,077 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). For return, Azimuth places the university in the 20th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $6,524 less than the model expects for similar students. That outcome sits at the 30th 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 $3,130. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,654. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,004.

Program selection accounts for much of the variation behind the overall figure. The downside earnings scenario is $38,408 four years after completion, and the upside scenario is $74,014; neither is an observed group.

Program medians four years after completion are Nursing at $85,740, Allied Health Professions at $76,850, and Physics at $62,865. Those results make the modeled range concrete: earnings differ sharply across the fields named here.

An estimated 28.8% 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 reported earnings median: some people continuing their education are outside that snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$50,224

**Rank for difference from expectations**
30th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Morehead State University reported median**
$50,224

**Peer schools comparable schools · $7,077 above Morehead State University**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,524 above Morehead State University**
$56,748

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 $38,408 to $74,014, around the reported median of $50,224. Compare the lower scenario with [Morehead State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/morehead-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**
$38,408

**Median · reported**
$50,224

**Higher estimate**
$74,014

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 Morehead 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).

Morehead State University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,524 below that expectation, the 30th 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 Morehead 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.**
+$3,130

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$9,654

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$6,524

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

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

Program earnings vary sharply at Morehead State University, so the field chosen matters to the return picture. Nursing had median earnings of $85,740 four years after completion and 62 degrees awarded.

Allied Health Professions recorded $76,850 with 33 degrees awarded, while Engineering Technologies/Technicians posted $76,568 across 49 degrees awarded. At a more moderate earnings level, Teacher Education had median earnings of $37,275 four years after completion and 57 degrees awarded.

The contrast between the higher-earning fields and teaching shows that four-year earnings are not a single schoolwide outcome.

Program choice matters at Morehead State University because published earnings span markedly different levels across 27 fields. Among the largest fields, Liberal Arts and General Studies awarded 131 degrees and had median earnings of $43,422 four years after completion.

Kinesiology and Physical Education awarded 66 degrees, with median earnings of $45,877 four years after completion. Nursing awarded 62 degrees and had median earnings of $85,740 four years after completion.

Teacher Education awarded 57 degrees and had median earnings of $37,275, while Biology awarded 55 degrees and had median earnings of $65,624. The larger fields therefore show different earnings pictures, rather than a single outcome for the university.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$85,740

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions**
$76,850

**Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General**
$76,568

**Biology, General**
$65,624

**Physics**
$62,865

**Management Information Systems and Services**
$59,145

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$55,282

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$51,805

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

## Further analysis

Across fields, earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put the downside at $38,408, the typical scenario at $50,224, and the upside at $74,014. Nursing has $85,740 median earnings four years after completion, compared with Teacher Education at $37,275 among the largest programs. The spread shows variation by field.

Graduate earnings are low relative to nonprofit four-year institutions, with modeled outcomes varying by program mix. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Morehead State University has median earnings of $50,224 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that measure in the 18th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 1,850 completers. Graduates earn about $6,524 less than the model expects for similar students.

The typical earnings scenario matches the median, with a downside scenario of $38,408 and an upside scenario of $74,014. An estimated 28.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The low earnings standing and below-expected result point the same way.

## 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/).