Kentucky Salaries

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  • Lexington, KY
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#2 Best Public Universities in Kentucky

Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at University of Kentucky

This page shows median first-year earnings for Kentucky 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 $43,800 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $51,000. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $65,800 , followed by Mining and Mineral Engineering at $65,100 , and Chemical Engineering at $63,300 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificate), with median first-year earnings of $115,200 , followed by Dentistry (First Professional Degree) at $107,500 , and Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) at $89,300 .

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

Median first-year earnings for University of Kentucky graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificate) $115,200
Dentistry (First Professional Degree) $107,500
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) $89,300
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degree) $88,300
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degree) $87,800
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degree) $68,900
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,800
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,100
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,300
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,300
Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) $61,500
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $59,600
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $58,300
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) $57,000
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,800
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,500
Law (First Professional Degree) $54,400
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degree) $54,200
Medicine (First Professional Degree) $54,000
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $52,300
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,800
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,600
Architecture (Master's Degree) $48,900
Public Health (Master's Degree) $48,900
International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degree) $47,500
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,700
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,300
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,300
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,900
Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,800
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,600
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $39,600
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $39,500
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degree) $38,600
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degree) $37,400
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,800
Social Work (Master's Degree) $36,200
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) $35,500
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,700
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,600
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,400
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,300
Forestry (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,800
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,800
Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,700
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,600
Library Science and Administration (Master's Degree) $31,900
Architecture (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,900
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,400
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,700
Agricultural Production Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,800
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,800
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,500
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,400
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,300
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,200
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,000
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,000
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,000
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,000
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,900
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,900
International/Global Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,600
Agricultural Public Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,000
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,900
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,700
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $21,600
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $20,000
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $18,000

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering University of Kentucky often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=157085.

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

Last updated: August 2026