1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [University of Central Missouri](/school/university-of-central-missouri/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # University of Central Missouri Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/university-of-central-missouri/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-central-missouri/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-central-missouri/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-central-missouri/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-central-missouri/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do University of Central Missouri graduates earn? The reported median is $54,054 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$3,247 per year. The return pillar at University of Central Missouri sits in the 27th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, completers earn a median of $54,054, which lands in the 29th percentile nationally. That figure is below the median among comparable institutions (same type and size) of $57,301 by $3,247. Graduates earn about $7,187 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 28th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,013. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $13,200. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,454. Earnings scenarios range from $40,541 on the downside to $84,569 on the upside, with $54,054 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. The upside reflects high-earning programs such as Construction Management, where graduates earn $96,186 four years after completion, and Computer Science at $90,822. The largest program, Teacher Education, has lower earnings at $38,807. An estimated 23.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, this estimate means that a portion of completers are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $54,054 **Rank for difference from expectations** 28th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **University of Central Missouri reported median** $54,054 **Peer schools comparable schools · $3,247 above University of Central Missouri** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $7,187 above University of Central Missouri** $61,241 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 $40,541 to $84,569, around the reported median of $54,054. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Central Missouri borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-central-missouri/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** $40,541 **Median · reported** $54,054 **Higher estimate** $84,569 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 University of Central Missouri 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). University of Central Missouri graduates’ reported earnings are $7,187 below that expectation, the 28th 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 University of Central Missouri 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.** +$6,013 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$13,200 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$7,187 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at University of Central Missouri report the highest earnings? The University of Central Missouri awards bachelor's degrees across 39 fields with published four-year earnings, and the spread between the highest-earning and largest programs is wide. Construction Management leads at $96,186 four years after completion, though it awarded only 27 degrees. Computer Science follows at $90,822 with 65 degrees awarded, and Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians reaches $84,738 on 35 degrees. Among the largest programs, the picture shifts. Teacher Education, the biggest by degrees awarded at 190, shows median earnings of $38,807. Nursing, with 118 degrees awarded, reaches $80,542 — the only large program that approaches the earnings of the top-earning fields. Criminal Justice and Kinesiology and Physical Education sit in the middle, at $52,875 and $52,328 respectively. A student's field choice here carries a large earnings consequence. The university publishes earnings data for 39 bachelor's programs, and the spread between the largest program's median and the top earner's median is wide. The largest, Teacher Education, awarded 190 degrees and shows a median of $38,807 four years after completion, while Nursing awarded 118 degrees and its completers earn a median of $80,542. Construction Management leads the earnings list at $96,186 with 27 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $90,822, and Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians at $84,738. 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 **Construction Management** $96,186 **Computer Science** $90,822 **Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians** $84,738 **Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management** $84,428 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $80,542 **Accounting and Related Services** $76,930 **Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General** $75,375 **Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians** $71,326 [Explore University of Central Missouri program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-central-missouri/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis The spread between Construction Management at $96,186 and Teacher Education at $38,807 shows how much field choice matters at University of Central Missouri. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix reinforce that range: the downside scenario is $40,541, the typical scenario is $54,054, and the upside scenario reaches $84,569. Four years after completing a degree, the 2,593 federally aided graduates of University of Central Missouri who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,054. That is $3,247 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places that earnings level at the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,187 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) are the difference between actual graduate pay and what the model predicts for comparable students. That measure lands at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $40,541 to $84,569, with the typical scenario matching the observed median. An estimated 23.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. ## 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/).