Graduates of Murray State University earn median 4-year earnings of $50,487, placing Murray State University in the 10.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,495 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Murray State University in the 24.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Murray State University #1225 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These figures represent lifetime returns relative to KY's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $31,626 (the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential). Business represents the institution's primary academic focus and a key driver of graduate outcomes. Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other is the largest program with 102 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $57,686, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians program graduates 99 students earning $40,839 four years after enrollment, while General Studies and Teacher Education round out the largest programs with median earnings of $41,797 and $38,132 respectively. This program mix reflects Murray State University's alignment with regional labor-market demand and provides graduates with stable career pathways across multiple fields.
Graduates of Murray State University earn median 4-year earnings of $50,487, placing Murray State University in the 10.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,495 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Murray State University in the 24.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Murray State University #1225 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These figures represent lifetime returns relative to KY's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $31,626 (the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential). Business represents the institution's primary academic focus and a key driver of graduate outcomes. Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other is the largest program with 102 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $57,686, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians program graduates 99 students earning $40,839 four years after enrollment, while General Studies and Teacher Education round out the largest programs with median earnings of $41,797 and $38,132 respectively. This program mix reflects Murray State University's alignment with regional labor-market demand and provides graduates with stable career pathways across multiple fields.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Murray State University earn median 4-year earnings of $50,487, placing Murray State University in the 10.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,495 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Murray State University in the 24.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Murray State University #1225 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These figures represent lifetime returns relative to KY's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $31,626 (the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential). Business represents the institution's primary academic focus and a key driver of graduate outcomes. Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other is the largest program with 102 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $57,686, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians program graduates 99 students earning $40,839 four years after enrollment, while General Studies and Teacher Education round out the largest programs with median earnings of $41,797 and $38,132 respectively. This program mix reflects Murray State University's alignment with regional labor-market demand and provides graduates with stable career pathways across multiple fields.
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Murray State University earn median 4-year earnings of $50,487, placing Murray State University in the 10.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,495 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Murray State University in the 24.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Murray State University #1225 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These figures represent lifetime returns relative to KY's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $31,626 (the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential). Business represents the institution's primary academic focus and a key driver of graduate outcomes. Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other is the largest program with 102 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $57,686, performing at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. The Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians program graduates 99 students earning $40,839 four years after enrollment, while General Studies and Teacher Education round out the largest programs with median earnings of $41,797 and $38,132 respectively. This program mix reflects Murray State University's alignment with regional labor-market demand and provides graduates with stable career pathways across multiple fields.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Murray State University's program mix is anchored in business, education, and health-related fields—a portfolio aligned with the institution's regional mission as a comprehensive public university. Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other is the largest program with 102 graduates annually, followed by Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians, General Studies, Teacher Education, and Nursing. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 1,485 students annually, several deliver solid four-year earnings outcomes that align with regional labor-market demand. The earnings pattern reflects strength in applied professional fields. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians leads with median earnings of $84,705 four years after enrollment across 54 graduates, followed by Nursing at $72,462 with 91 graduates and Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at $58,265. Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other, the institution's largest program, earns $57,686 four years after enrollment, demonstrating that scale and earnings strength align in this field. Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians graduates earn $40,839, and General Studies earns $41,797, positioning these programs as reliable pathways to stable employment. Most of Murray State University's dominant programs are high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways where four-year earnings reflect actual labor-market outcomes. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, Nursing, and Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other all fall into this category, where graduates enter careers immediately and build earnings through experience. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these fields align with regional and national wage trends, particularly in sectors with sustained hiring demand.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
