Wayne State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,551, in the 74th percentile. That is $2,941 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $15,049 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 92nd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $9,864. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $5,185.

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from a downside of $47,775 to an upside of $90,428, with a typical scenario of $68,551. These are not observed groups of graduates but estimates of what the mix of programs can yield.

The highest-earning program is Biomedical Engineering, where graduates earn a median of $106,048 four years after completion, from 18 degrees awarded a year. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $104,630 with 164 degrees awarded, and Industrial Engineering at $101,990 from 16 degrees awarded.

An estimated 28.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the institution's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Wayne State University's highest-earning bachelor's programs cluster in engineering and computing. Biomedical Engineering leads at $106,048 four years after completion, though it awarded only 18 degrees.

Computer and Information Sciences follows at $104,630 with 164 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #46 in the field. Among the university's largest programs, earnings spread across a wide range.

International Business reaches $79,882 and ranks #11 nationally on 212 degrees awarded. By contrast, Psychology, the largest program with 331 degrees awarded, shows a median of $52,435 and an Azimuth national rank of #127. Public Health sits between them at $55,302 with 258 degrees awarded.

Wayne State University awards bachelor's degrees across 53 fields with published earnings data, 42 of which carry an Azimuth national rank. Business is the largest family at 25.3% of degrees awarded, and the single largest program is Psychology with 331 degrees a year.

Azimuth ranks it #127 nationally in its field, and its completers earn a median of $52,435 four years after completion. The best nationally ranked program is Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, at #1 in its field and #1 in Michigan, with 104 degrees awarded and median earnings of $92,707.

The highest earnings, however, come from Biomedical Engineering, a much smaller program at 18 degrees a year, where completers earn a median of $106,048. Computer and Information Sciences is both high-earning and larger, with 164 degrees awarded and a median of $104,630, ranking #46 nationally.

A student's choice of field here carries a wide earnings range, from the largest program's median to the six-figure outcomes in engineering and computing.