Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY, United States
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Photo: en:User:Samvscat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Northern Kentucky University has 60 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (doctoral), where graduates earn a median $143,901 one year after finishing, against $133,687 for the same field nationally.
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
Students who return for a second year
Median earnings
$55,024
Former students who received federal aid
Source: U.S. College Scorecard, field of study, 2025
Median earnings of graduates who received federal aid, one and four years after finishing, and the median federal loan debt they borrowed at Northern Kentucky University. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 55 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.
Highest-earning programs
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 21 | $78,309 | $88,492 | $81,5628% above | $21,706 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 20 | $67,780 | $85,697 | $81,4245% above | N/A |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 121 | $70,719 | $82,982 | $85,0002% below | $20,606 |
| Construction Management | 23 | $72,723 | $81,833 | $93,15612% below | $19,450 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 239 | $80,553 | $77,404 | $86,02010% below | $18,000 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 66 | $58,209 | $73,478 | $59,88123% above | $18,750 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 0 | $60,071 | $69,610 | $73,0545% below | $21,098 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 0 | $59,723 | $68,409 | $77,31212% below | $18,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 371 | $56,062 | $67,319 | $64,5904% above | $20,000 |
| Business/Commerce, General | 0 | $56,782 | $67,174 | $64,0165% above | $20,146 |
| Marketing | 0 | $54,470 | $67,018 | $66,5421% above | $19,125 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 57 | $54,300 | $65,960 | $67,0252% below | $20,500 |
| Chemistry | 11 | N/A | $65,038 | $66,3662% below | N/A |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 61 | $56,138 | $61,173 | $67,67610% below | $19,500 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Not available | $42,238 | $60,377 | $53,02414% above | $18,938 |
| Biology, General | 74 | $39,645 | $56,999 | $57,5581% below | $14,450 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 43 | $42,922 | $55,835 | $54,4693% above | $24,368 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 57 | $43,299 | $53,082 | $53,8251% below | $23,000 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 12 | $36,074 | $52,703 | $52,7270% above | N/A |
| Political Science and Government | 14 | N/A | $50,668 | $61,61318% below | N/A |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 56 | $42,670 | $50,322 | $52,0203% below | $23,250 |
| Information Science/Studies | 15 | $34,844 | $50,009 | $81,11738% below | $24,704 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 20 | $48,555 | $49,989 | $62,02719% below | N/A |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 10 | $40,941 | $48,949 | $54,62710% below | N/A |
| History | 29 | $35,408 | $48,109 | $50,3875% below | $21,500 |
| Music | 8 | N/A | $47,343 | $43,3879% above | N/A |
| Psychology, General | 134 | $38,721 | $47,280 | $50,0666% below | $18,984 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 12 | N/A | $45,738 | $50,82710% below | N/A |
| Social Work | 40 | $38,461 | $44,914 | $51,85913% below | $21,417 |
| Journalism | 54 | $39,539 | $44,834 | $54,37818% below | $24,487 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 3 | N/A | $44,561 | $56,04720% below | N/A |
| English Language and Literature, General | 33 | $33,902 | $44,385 | $48,7739% below | $27,000 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 10 | N/A | $42,964 | $51,25816% below | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 108 | $38,668 | $42,709 | $47,73011% below | $21,875 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 37 | $37,870 | $42,684 | $41,5503% above | $24,906 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 0 | $42,596 | N/A | $50,32415% below | N/A |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 2 | N/A | $41,730 | $66,12237% below | N/A |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 44 | $40,153 | N/A | $36,09311% above | $24,139 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 46 | $28,374 | $35,624 | $40,05311% below | $18,669 |
| Social Sciences, General | 4 | $35,129 | N/A | $43,13119% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 0 | N/A | $92,849 | $62,98547% above | N/A |
| Business/Commerce, General | 0 | N/A | $72,323 | $49,13447% above | N/A |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 38 | N/A | $40,516 | $42,7745% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human Resources Management and Services | 9 | N/A | $137,370 | $85,19261% above | N/A |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 625 | $105,703 | $111,560 | $120,3387% below | $46,546 |
| Information Science/Studies | 17 | N/A | $110,142 | $102,1188% above | N/A |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | 14 | $84,212 | $105,350 | $104,2401% above | N/A |
| Business/Commerce, General | 453 | $91,837 | $94,965 | $106,81211% below | $30,035 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 61 | $66,323 | $88,157 | $93,2285% below | $27,725 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 2 | $67,400 | $85,127 | $83,6322% above | N/A |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 17 | $69,781 | $78,318 | $65,74419% above | N/A |
| Public Administration | 11 | $55,692 | $75,814 | $77,1752% below | N/A |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 41 | $61,564 | $71,983 | $69,9443% above | $21,200 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 15 | $48,127 | $60,175 | $60,2340% above | N/A |
| Social Work | 92 | $52,322 | $55,285 | $62,59712% below | $46,714 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 13 | $51,041 | N/A | $50,7031% above | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 41 | $48,770 | $49,961 | $58,84515% below | $17,731 |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Not available | $143,901 | N/A | $133,6878% above | $52,496 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 16 | $88,698 | N/A | $96,4578% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 126 | $61,985 | $74,937 | $100,93226% below | $106,454 |
Careers linked to the programs Northern Kentucky University reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.
Healthcare practitioners
Master's degree
Via Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business/Commerce, General and 3 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Public Administration, Business/Commerce, General and 3 more
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Information Science/Studies and 5 more
Science
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Engineering Physics, Physics
Verified facts
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