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AU Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at American University

This page shows median first-year earnings for AU graduates by major, based on federal College Scorecard data. Six years after enrolling, former students who are working and no longer in school report average earnings of $45,000 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $64,800. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

Below, majors are ranked by median first-year earnings.

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Finance and Financial Management Services, with median first-year earnings of $50,700 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations at $47,000 , and Economics at $45,300 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Taxation (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $90,600 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $89,900 , and Public Administration (Master's Degree) at $69,600 .

First-year earnings data come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and reflect IRS-reported income for American University graduates who received federal grants or loans. Some programs are omitted for privacy.

Median first-year earnings for American University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Taxation (Master's Degree) $90,600
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $89,900
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $69,600
Economics (Master's Degree) $68,000
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $65,300
Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) $64,400
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degree) $62,400
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degree) $58,900
International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) $57,500
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degree) $57,200
International and Comparative Education (Master's Degree) $55,900
Law (First Professional Degree) $55,300
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degree) $54,000
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degree) $53,000
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Master's Degree) $52,500
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degree) $51,900
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $51,400
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,700
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,000
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,300
Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degree) $44,500
Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,300
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,900
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,800
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,100
Philosophy (Master's Degree) $41,900
Political Science and Government (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) $41,000
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,700
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,800
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,300
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,600
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,700
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) $36,100
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,600
Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,300
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,300
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,500
Area Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,000
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,700
Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degree) $27,500
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,700
Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,900

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering American University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=131159.

First-year earnings by major: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Last updated: August 2026