Western Kentucky University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,602, at the 28th percentile. That is $12,008 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university at the 33rd percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,881 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 44th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $7,249. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,130.

Program choice makes a wide difference in modeled earnings at Western Kentucky University. The downside scenario is $41,617 and the upside scenario is $72,183, representing earnings scenarios rather than observed groups.

The range is consistent with varied program outcomes four years after completion. Among the higher-earning fields, Mechanical Engineering completers have median earnings of $86,624, Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians completers have $86,033, and Electrical Engineering completers have $85,772 four years after completion.

Those fields sit well above the downside scenario, showing why the program choice matters.

Graduate study is part of the picture when reading earnings. An estimated 28.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

Because four-year earnings count people who are working and not enrolled, that estimate belongs alongside the median.

At Western Kentucky University, program choice makes the earnings picture uneven across several large fields. Nursing has median earnings of $73,496 four years after completion, with 170 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #293 nationally within its field.

Marketing records $60,222 and 136 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #148. Business Administration and Management posts $59,362 across 209 degrees awarded and ranks #258 nationally by Azimuth.

Teacher Education is lower at $38,656, with 131 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #226. The higher and moderate earning fields sit alongside a lower-earning education field, so program selection matters when reading the university's overall earnings.

Program-level rankings give Western Kentucky University a focused set of nationally placed fields, with earnings that differ across them. Azimuth identifies 35 nationally ranked bachelor’s fields at the university.

Azimuth ranks Architectural Sciences and Technology #12 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; it awarded 22 degrees, and completers had median earnings of $71,240 four years after completion. Apparel and Textiles ranks #32 nationally through Azimuth in its field, with 40 degrees awarded and median earnings of $45,420 four years after completion.

Azimuth places Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at #39 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. 21 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $57,958 four years after completion.

The figures show that strong field placements do not make earnings uniform across these programs.