Illinois State University campus

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ISU Salaries

  • 6/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • Normal, IL
  • 4.8 4 reviews
#5 Best Public Universities in Illinois
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Illinois State University

This page shows median first-year earnings for ISU 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 $39,700 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $49,000. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Construction Management, with median first-year earnings of $64,500 , followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at $62,500 , and Computer Science at $62,300 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $93,200 , followed by Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) at $69,900 , and Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) at $60,800 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Illinois State University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $93,200
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $69,900
Construction Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $64,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,500
Computer Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,300
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $60,800
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,500
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,900
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $53,600
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $53,100
Insurance (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,800
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $51,100
Public Health (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,300
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,400
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,200
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degree) $44,900
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,600
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,600
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,500
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,500
Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degree) $42,900
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,600
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,500
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,900
International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,500
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,600
Social Work (Master's Degree) $40,400
Agriculture (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,500
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) $39,300
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,600
Graphic Communications (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,200
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,500
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) $35,900
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,900
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,000
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,500
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,000
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,700
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,100
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,800
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Music (Master's Degree) $31,700
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,000
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,000
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,500
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,300
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,700
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,200
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,800
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,500
Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,400
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,100
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,100

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Illinois State University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=145813.

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

Last updated: August 2026