1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Murray State University](/school/murray-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Murray State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/murray-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/murray-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/murray-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/murray-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/murray-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Murray State University graduates earn? The reported median is $50,487 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$6,814 per year. Affordability is Murray State University's strongest pillar, but return results are less favorable. According to Azimuth, return falls in the 17th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,655 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, sits in the 20th 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 $4,204. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $13,859. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,896. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $50,487 four years after completion; that median is in the 19th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; earnings are $6,814 below it. The model gap and peer comparison point in the same direction. The modeled earnings range is wide, so field of study matters at Murray State University. The downside earnings scenario is $39,193 and the upside scenario is $74,176, with $50,487 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. At the higher end, median earnings four years after completion are $87,573 in Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, $86,713 in Engineering Physics, and $84,705 in Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. Each of these field medians exceeds the upside scenario. The four-year earnings measure covers completers who are working and not enrolled, so further study matters when reading it. An estimated 24.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, an estimate derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $50,487 **Rank for difference from expectations** 20th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Murray State University reported median** $50,487 **Peer schools comparable schools · $6,814 above Murray State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $9,655 above Murray State University** $60,142 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 $39,193 to $74,176, around the reported median of $50,487. Compare the lower scenario with [Murray State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/murray-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** $39,193 **Median · reported** $50,487 **Higher estimate** $74,176 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 Murray 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). Murray State University graduates’ reported earnings are $9,655 below that expectation, the 20th 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 Murray 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.** +$4,204 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$13,859 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$9,655 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Murray State University report the highest earnings? Program-level earnings at Murray State University vary substantially, so the field selected matters when reading the university’s overall return picture. At the higher-earning end, Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians had median earnings of $87,573 four years after completion, with 29 degrees awarded. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians posted $84,705 across 54 degrees awarded, and Nursing recorded $72,462 with 91 degrees awarded. By comparison, Teacher Education had median earnings of $38,132 and 93 degrees awarded. The contrast between these higher- and more moderate-earning fields makes the program-level figures more informative than a single campuswide earnings number. Program earnings vary widely across Murray State University’s fields, making the intended major especially important to the earnings picture. Among the higher-earning programs, Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians awarded 29 degrees and had median earnings of $87,573 four years after completion; Engineering Physics awarded 26 degrees and had median earnings of $86,713. Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians awarded 54 degrees, with median earnings of $84,705 four years after completion. Nursing awarded 91 degrees and had median earnings of $72,462, showing that program choice can coincide with very different early-career earnings. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians** $87,573 **Engineering Physics** $86,713 **Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians** $84,705 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $72,462 **Computer Science** $67,173 **Accounting and Related Services** $64,269 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** $63,679 **Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians** $58,862 [Explore Murray State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/murray-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Program-mix earnings scenarios span a downside of $39,193, a typical outcome of $50,487, and an upside of $74,176 four years after completion. Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians reaches $87,573 four years after completion, whereas Teacher Education is the lowest-earning among the largest programs at $38,132. These earnings scenarios show variation by field. At Murray State University, graduate earnings sit toward the lower end of nonprofit four-year institutions. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $50,487 four years after completion. Azimuth places that measure in the 19th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 1,946 completers. Graduates earn about $9,655 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, is therefore unfavorable here. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put the downside at $39,193, the typical scenario at $50,487, and the upside at $74,176. An estimated 24.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The lower earnings standing and below-expected result point in the same direction. ## 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/).