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App State majors and salaries
Appalachian State University · Boone, North Carolina · Public · 19,444 undergraduates
Computer Science leads the pay table by a wide margin: $97,670 four years after graduation, against $87,041 for Management Information Systems and Services. Psychology, General is the largest program by degrees awarded (680 over two years); its graduates earned a median $47,720 four years after finishing. Sam Houston State University trail App State on median earnings ten years after enrollment, while East Carolina University, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Montclair State University and Illinois State University are ahead.
Highest-paying bachelor's programs
Every program with earnings data
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Median debt | Pay after 1 yr | Pay after 4 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 172 | $20,500 | $70,140 | $97,670 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 170 | $18,500 | $58,137 | $87,041 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 171 | $16,394 | $56,438 | $85,580 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 23 | – | – | $83,033 |
| Physics | 45 | – | $43,284 | $82,399 |
| Insurance | 86 | $18,846 | $56,954 | $82,306 |
| Construction Management | 248 | $19,500 | $61,641 | $80,257 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 190 | $12,500 | $77,166 | $78,943 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 222 | $18,266 | $56,909 | $75,396 |
| International Business | 39 | – | – | $72,852 |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | 100 | $22,500 | $47,866 | $69,956 |
| Marketing | 443 | $16,062 | $51,885 | $69,439 |
| Economics | – | – | $60,061 | $67,285 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 117 | $18,500 | $44,646 | $66,227 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 571 | $15,000 | $52,247 | $64,932 |
| Mathematics | 66 | $18,373 | $42,940 | $62,271 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 34 | $20,761 | $41,250 | $58,516 |
| Chemistry | 105 | $23,157 | $48,061 | $58,329 |
| Geography and Cartography | 41 | $19,500 | $39,131 | $58,289 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 52 | $24,112 | $27,600 | $55,778 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 256 | $18,031 | $41,187 | $55,671 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 322 | $19,406 | $32,585 | $55,594 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 250 | $15,718 | $44,238 | $55,474 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 137 | $19,400 | $40,170 | $55,307 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 115 | $18,250 | $31,804 | $55,235 |
| Political Science and Government | 188 | $20,500 | $35,645 | $54,344 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 251 | $20,500 | $42,862 | $53,543 |
| Food Science and Technology | 9 | – | $39,756 | $53,369 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 47 | $18,125 | $48,465 | $53,269 |
| Biology, General | 358 | $20,500 | $34,395 | $53,228 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 147 | $19,250 | $30,229 | $53,125 |
| Social Work | 198 | $16,702 | $42,136 | $51,012 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 101 | $20,250 | $34,745 | $50,403 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 42 | $21,211 | $45,386 | $50,264 |
| Public Health | 130 | $20,000 | $37,011 | $49,039 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 41 | $18,625 | $42,147 | $48,546 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 224 | $20,500 | $45,032 | $48,255 |
| Journalism | 66 | $14,000 | $37,849 | $48,243 |
| Psychology, General | 680 | $18,752 | $34,275 | $47,720 |
| Sociology | 72 | $19,500 | $35,695 | $47,180 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 228 | $18,093 | $35,937 | $46,207 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 488 | $18,609 | $43,890 | $46,057 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 161 | $19,500 | $27,547 | $45,954 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 57 | $24,214 | $21,688 | $44,986 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 40 | $17,125 | $31,342 | $44,297 |
| Anthropology | 85 | $19,500 | $31,402 | $42,107 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | 148 | $17,700 | $33,157 | $41,052 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 117 | $19,793 | $26,848 | $41,002 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 76 | $20,282 | $39,869 | $40,461 |
| History | 106 | $18,500 | $26,906 | $40,371 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 39 | $24,218 | $39,150 | – |
Programs are grouped by four-digit CIP code, so one row can cover several related majors. "Graduates" counts bachelor's degrees awarded across the two years that make up each earnings cohort.
Outcomes
- Six-year graduation rate
- 71% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
- First-year students who return
- 84%
- Students per faculty member
- 16
- Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
- $57,488 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
- Median federal debt at graduation
- $19,500 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)
Colleges similar to App State
The six public four-year colleges closest to App State in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.
| College | Acceptance rate | Avg net price | Earnings after 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina University Greenville, NC | 89% | $16,880 | $60,387 |
| Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | 90% | $14,788 | $56,877 |
| University of Nebraska, Lincoln Lincoln, NE | 87% | $16,214 | $61,819 |
| University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | 91% | $15,625 | $59,268 |
| Montclair State University Montclair, NJ | 88% | $15,193 | $63,846 |
| Illinois State University Normal, IL | 88% | $17,829 | $67,557 |
Program earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled, one and four years after finishing, for two pooled graduating classes. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and do not appear. College Scorecard data updated November 2, 2026. How these figures are built · App State on College Scorecard