Grand Valley State University campus

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GVSU Salaries

  • 6/10 Overall Rating
  • 4 Year
  • Allendale, MI
  • 3.7 3 reviews
#5 Best Public Universities in Michigan
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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Grand Valley State University

This page shows median first-year earnings for GVSU 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 $35,600 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $44,600. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Mechanical Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $66,200 , followed by Computer and Information Sciences at $63,900 , and Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at $56,800 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $104,700 , followed by Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) at $69,200 , and Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) at $68,700 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Grand Valley State University graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degree) $104,700
Business/Commerce (Master's Degree) $69,200
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degree) $68,700
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $66,200
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Master's Degree) $64,100
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,900
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $60,100
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,800
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,200
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degree) $54,800
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $54,200
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,900
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degree) $51,100
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $50,300
International Business (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,000
Education (Master's Degree) $48,000
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $48,000
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,100
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,700
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) $44,800
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,600
Statistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,200
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $43,800
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degree) $43,700
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,000
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,700
Public Health (Master's Degree) $42,100
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,800
Social Work (Master's Degree) $41,200
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,700
Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,900
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $35,400
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,800
Education (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,800
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,800
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,800
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,400
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,000
Social Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,800
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,600
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,400
Legal Support Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,700
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,000
Public Administration (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,600
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,300
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,700
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,400
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,400
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,300
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,200
Social Work (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,100
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,000
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,900
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,900
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,000
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,400
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,300
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,200
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,000
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,600
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,800

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Grand Valley State University often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=170082.

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

Last updated: August 2026