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Career outcomes brief

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# Westfield State University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/westfield-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/westfield-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/westfield-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/westfield-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/westfield-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do Westfield State University graduates earn?

The reported median is $59,434 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $2,133 per year.

Westfield State University shows a mixed return record: graduates earn about $3,963 less than the model expects for similar students, although its four-year earnings stand $2,133 above the peer median. Azimuth puts [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) in the 39th 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 $3,845. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,808.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $307. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $59,434 four years after completion, in the 49th percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Above-peer earnings and below-expected earnings point in different directions.

Program choice is central to the earnings picture at Westfield State University. The downside earnings scenario is $50,541, and the upside scenario is $78,783.

These scenarios are drawn from the program mix rather than from observed groups of graduates. Among the higher-earning fields, median earnings four years after completion are $95,932 in Computer Science, $93,248 in Nursing, and $72,539 in Economics.

Those field-level results show why the modeled scenario endpoints matter when weighing programs.

Further study matters when reading the earnings figure: an estimated 29.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate describes a group outside that earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$59,434

**Rank for difference from expectations**
39th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Westfield State University reported median**
$59,434

**Peer schools comparable schools · $2,133 below Westfield State University**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $3,963 above Westfield State University**
$63,397

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 $50,541 to $78,783, around the reported median of $59,434. Compare the lower scenario with [Westfield State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/westfield-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**
$50,541

**Median · reported**
$59,434

**Higher estimate**
$78,783

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 Westfield 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).

Westfield State University graduates’ reported earnings are $3,963 below that expectation, the 39th 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 Westfield 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.**
+$3,845

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$7,808

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$3,963

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at Westfield State University report the highest earnings?

At Westfield State University, program earnings differ substantially four years after completion, separating higher-earning fields from more moderate options. Computer Science is the highest-earning listed program, with median earnings of $95,932 and 14 degrees awarded.

Nursing follows at $93,248, with 66 degrees awarded. Economics records median earnings of $72,539 across 24 degrees awarded, while Criminal Justice posts $67,363 alongside 151 degrees awarded.

The contrast between the first pair of fields and the latter pair shows why program choice changes how the university's four-year earnings figures should be read.

Security & Protective Services accounts for 13.3% of bachelor’s degrees awarded at Westfield State University, the largest program family. Earnings data cover 22 programs, so the larger fields show only part of the school’s program-level earnings picture.

Criminal Justice awarded 151 degrees, with median earnings of $67,363 four years after completion. Business/Commerce awarded 143 degrees and had median earnings of $66,889 four years after completion.

Liberal Arts and General Studies awarded 129 degrees and had median earnings of $51,730 four years after completion. Psychology awarded 109 degrees and had median earnings of $54,484 four years after completion.

Teacher Education awarded 78 degrees and had median earnings of $51,049 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer Science**
$95,932

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$93,248

**Economics**
$72,539

**Criminal Justice and Corrections**
$67,363

**Business/Commerce, General**
$66,889

**Biology, General**
$64,904

**Political Science and Government**
$60,025

**City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning**
$59,524

[Explore Westfield State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/westfield-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put the downside at $50,541, the typical scenario at $59,434, and the upside at $78,783. Computer Science reaches $95,932 four years after completion, while Teacher Education is the lowest-earning among the largest programs at $51,049. The spread shows variation by field.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, $59,434 is the median earned four years after completion at Westfield State University. This is a schoolwide measure, so it combines outcomes across the institution’s fields.

Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions and bases it on an earnings cohort of 1,840 completers. Earnings scenarios drawn from the program mix show how earnings can vary across fields; they are scenarios rather than observed groups.

An estimated 29.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. [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, offer a separate model-based reading.

Graduates earn about $3,963 less than the model expects for similar students. The earnings placement and below-expected reading present a mixed return picture.

## 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/).