Penn State Salaries

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Salaries by Major

Salaries by Major at Penn State Main Campus

This page shows median first-year earnings for Penn State 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 $41,900 per year; after ten years, average earnings are $55,300. See post-graduation earnings for full trends over time.

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

The highest-paying undergraduate degree is Mining and Mineral Engineering, with median first-year earnings of $84,100 , followed by Computer and Information Sciences at $74,100 , and Chemical Engineering at $70,500 .

Among graduate and professional degree programs, the highest-paying program is Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree), with median first-year earnings of $113,000 , followed by Computer Engineering (Master's Degree) at $95,900 , and Systems Engineering (Master's Degree) at $94,700 .

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

Median first-year earnings for Penn State Main Campus graduates ranked by degree type and major
Major Earnings
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degree) $113,000
Computer Engineering (Master's Degree) $95,900
Systems Engineering (Master's Degree) $94,700
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degree) $94,400
Computer and Information Sciences (Master's Degree) $91,900
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degree) $90,900
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degree) $88,600
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degree) $87,800
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Associate's Degree) $84,100
Statistics (Master's Degree) $81,500
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degree) $81,200
Chemistry (Doctoral Degree) $74,900
Computer and Information Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $74,100
Geography and Cartography (Master's Degree) $73,200
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $70,500
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $70,100
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degree) $70,000
Engineering Science (Bachelor’s Degree) $69,600
Architectural Engineering (Master's Degree) $68,400
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor’s Degree) $67,800
Architectural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $67,300
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $67,200
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degree) $66,500
Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,700
Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,500
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,400
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,300
Polymer/Plastics Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,100
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $65,000
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degree) $63,200
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $63,000
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,700
Materials Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $62,500
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $61,800
Nuclear Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $61,400
Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degree) $61,200
Engineering, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,200
Civil Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $60,000
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $59,700
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $58,500
Agricultural Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $58,400
Medicine (Master's Degree) $58,300
Public Administration (Master's Degree) $57,900
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $57,200
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $56,200
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,600
Public Health (Master's Degree) $55,400
Statistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $55,300
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degree) $53,300
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degree) $52,300
Food Science and Technology (Bachelor’s Degree) $52,100
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degree) $51,200
Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degree) $50,000
Mathematics (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,400
Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $49,000
Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) $48,900
Law (First Professional Degree) $48,200
Economics (Bachelor’s Degree) $47,800
Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree) $46,800
Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degree) $45,300
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $45,000
Information Science/Studies (Associate's Degree) $44,800
Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,600
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $44,400
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,900
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,500
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $43,400
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degree) $43,100
Chemistry (Bachelor’s Degree) $42,800
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degree) $42,700
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) $42,600
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,700
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor’s Degree) $41,000
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degree) $40,800
Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) (Bachelor’s Degree) $40,600
Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,700
Business/Commerce (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,100
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $38,000
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,500
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $37,000
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degree) $37,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,900
Business/Corporate Communications (Bachelor’s Degree) $36,300
Business/Commerce (Associate's Degree) $35,800
Geography and Cartography (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,900
Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $34,700
Political Science and Government (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,700
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $33,500
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,900
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degree) $32,800
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,400
Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,300
Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,100
Sociology (Bachelor’s Degree) $32,000
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,500
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,200
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $31,000
Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $30,600
Biology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,400
Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $29,100
International/Global Studies (Master's Degree) $28,800
Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,700
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,600
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,300
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,300
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,100
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Bachelor’s Degree) $28,000
Physics (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,900
History (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,900
English Language and Literature (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,300
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,300
Animal Sciences (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,200
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $27,200
Visual and Performing Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $26,700
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) $25,200
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor’s Degree) $24,500
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor’s Degree) $23,400
Music (Master's Degree) $22,500
Music (Bachelor’s Degree) $22,100
Natural Resources and Conservation, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) $19,900
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Associate's Degree) $19,200
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) $18,500
Anthropology (Bachelor’s Degree) $17,800

Other Colleges to Consider

Students considering Penn State Main Campus often consider these colleges

Data source: NCES / IPEDS https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=214777.

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

Last updated: August 2026