Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA, United States
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Photo: Generalissima, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Western Washington University has 67 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Educational Administration and Supervision (graduate certificate), where graduates earn a median $146,466 one year after finishing, against $84,158 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
$64,305
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 Western Washington University. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 91 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 113 | $77,318 | $110,138 | $85,00030% above | $18,106 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Not available | N/A | $107,131 | $98,9538% above | N/A |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 14 | $78,842 | $96,695 | $86,02012% above | N/A |
| Polymer/Plastics Engineering | 17 | $71,306 | $92,439 | $90,4362% above | N/A |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | 34 | $88,050 | N/A | $86,0472% above | $21,917 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 18 | $76,872 | $85,314 | $88,8434% below | N/A |
| Accounting and Related Services | 49 | $60,208 | $82,246 | $73,05413% above | $19,166 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 34 | $59,009 | $81,678 | $81,4240% above | $10,750 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 40 | $48,761 | $77,048 | $64,95119% above | $18,773 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 35 | $62,980 | $75,730 | $77,3122% below | $13,750 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 66 | $55,860 | $71,886 | $64,59011% above | $17,500 |
| Sustainability Studies | 56 | $36,038 | $70,793 | $59,66019% above | $17,212 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 32 | $42,687 | $69,715 | $52,72732% above | $19,500 |
| Marketing | 95 | $51,804 | $69,323 | $66,5424% above | $15,000 |
| Applied Mathematics | 9 | N/A | $68,359 | $86,19421% below | N/A |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 18 | $67,474 | N/A | $62,1948% above | N/A |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 50 | $39,479 | $67,208 | $60,37911% above | $20,600 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 37 | $29,055 | $65,380 | $56,04717% above | $18,627 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 102 | $54,779 | $64,780 | $51,25826% above | $22,564 |
| Economics | 49 | $48,368 | $64,123 | $79,31019% below | $18,417 |
| International Business | 22 | $51,687 | $63,923 | $73,64013% below | N/A |
| Physics | 18 | $43,443 | $63,833 | $78,86419% below | $20,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 69 | $47,617 | $63,072 | $50,82724% above | $19,758 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 30 | $41,857 | $62,500 | $47,73031% above | $20,074 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 33 | $33,532 | $61,802 | $58,4916% above | $18,916 |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 17 | $58,805 | N/A | $78,75825% below | N/A |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 31 | $39,698 | $58,622 | $66,90612% below | $17,661 |
| Journalism | 45 | $36,924 | $57,697 | $54,3786% above | $16,468 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 101 | $38,629 | $56,415 | $53,8255% above | $16,157 |
| Chemistry | 38 | $44,473 | $55,793 | $66,36616% below | $12,000 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | 50 | $44,036 | $54,290 | $50,0748% above | $15,257 |
| Sociology | 114 | $36,383 | $54,263 | $52,1054% above | $16,051 |
| Mathematics | 28 | $47,856 | $54,234 | $70,62823% below | N/A |
| Human Services, General | 66 | $45,482 | $53,788 | $48,79910% above | $12,500 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 163 | $38,026 | $53,781 | $54,6272% below | $16,500 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 71 | $33,714 | $53,428 | $62,34314% below | $15,000 |
| Psychology, General | 234 | $37,945 | $53,224 | $50,0666% above | $15,833 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 29 | $35,925 | $51,508 | $61,79917% below | $19,500 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 32 | $35,429 | $50,832 | $49,4193% above | $19,213 |
| Anthropology | 52 | $33,099 | $50,703 | $45,83311% above | $13,541 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 43 | $39,035 | $50,079 | $53,0246% below | $21,315 |
| Biology, General | 56 | $35,827 | $50,027 | $57,55813% below | $20,580 |
| Political Science and Government | 83 | $40,393 | $49,640 | $61,61319% below | $16,444 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 67 | $31,392 | $46,571 | $48,7735% below | $15,415 |
| History | 70 | $32,434 | $46,000 | $50,3879% below | $13,368 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 31 | $34,843 | $44,615 | $51,17113% below | $11,167 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 110 | $33,763 | $43,919 | $54,53019% below | $17,800 |
| Area Studies | 14 | N/A | $40,623 | $58,23930% below | N/A |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 34 | $27,901 | $40,616 | $40,0531% above | $18,271 |
| Music | 12 | $35,348 | $38,858 | $43,38710% below | N/A |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 127 | $28,807 | $38,460 | $47,08818% below | $15,000 |
| Archeology | 20 | $31,745 | $38,243 | $40,5916% below | N/A |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 11 | N/A | $38,163 | $52,02027% below | N/A |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 81 | $26,311 | $35,161 | $41,55015% below | $14,350 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 15 | $33,875 | N/A | $35,3354% below | N/A |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 19 | $32,467 | N/A | $34,6566% below | $13,268 |
| Philosophy | 21 | $32,031 | N/A | $37,81515% below | N/A |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 12 | $26,575 | N/A | $39,14832% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 12 | N/A | $129,722 | $69,94485% above | N/A |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 20 | $116,543 | N/A | $100,07916% above | N/A |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 24 | $97,561 | $97,723 | $95,1273% above | N/A |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 18 | $72,157 | $80,873 | $65,78623% above | $41,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 58 | $69,079 | $74,041 | $58,84526% above | $30,872 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 14 | $74,547 | $73,371 | $71,2623% above | N/A |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 25 | $69,594 | N/A | $61,16714% above | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 0 | N/A | $48,078 | $62,45023% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Not available | $146,466 | N/A | $84,15874% above | N/A |
Careers linked to the programs Western Washington 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 Business/Commerce, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 4 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business/Commerce, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 4 more
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management and 5 more
Science
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Physics, Public Health
Verified facts
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