Eastern Kentucky University

Salary Score
Bachelor's
26
Master's
26
Doctoral
8
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FAQsEstablished in 1874, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is a four-year, public institution. Among its 11,255 undergraduate students, exactly half are estimated to graduate based on the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. EKU has designed over 50 online degrees across all levels, including bachelor's programs, with a focus on adult learners who may have other obligations. For this reason, online classes are flexible. These distance learning programs are taught across six colleges, including the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences; Business; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; Education and Applied Human Sciences; Health Sciences; and College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science.
Rankings by Salary Score and Affordability
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#7
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#8
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#10
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Salary Score for Online Degrees at Eastern Kentucky University
Associate's Degrees
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $16,691 | $28,543 | 76 |
Bachelor's Degrees
Social Work | $26,000 | $33,448 | 65 |
Political Science and Government | $21,740 | $35,263 | 58 |
Business Administration, Management and Operations | $26,125 | $42,563 | 53 |
Homeland Security | $27,000 | $40,678 | 38 |
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $22,404 | $30,148 | 38 |
Fire Protection | $27,500 | $48,702 | 36 |
Marketing | $27,000 | $38,362 | 31 |
Business/Commerce, General | $24,949 | $37,931 | 27 |
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $21,500 | $58,745 | 25 |
Psychology, General | $23,931 | $25,642 | 25 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $24,812 | $32,879 | 25 |
Criminal Justice and Corrections | $21,887 | $29,941 | 24 |
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $22,500 | $24,978 | 24 |
Communication and Media Studies | Not Reported | $27,520 | 20 |
Public Health | $23,500 | $27,112 | 17 |
Health and Medical Administrative Services | $24,063 | $32,399 | 17 |
Accounting and Related Services | $22,414 | $39,625 | 14 |
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $24,000 | $24,568 | 13 |
Legal Support Services | Not Reported | $27,538 | 12 |
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | Not Reported | $27,507 | 10 |
Health and Physical Education/Fitness | $26,389 | $21,422 | 6 |
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Not Reported | $20,006 | 4 |
Finance and Financial Management Services | Not Reported | $32,868 | 4 |
Insurance | Not Reported | $37,153 | 2 |
Master's Degrees
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $53,894 | $94,123 | 41 |
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Not Reported | $42,570 | 34 |
Criminal Justice and Corrections | Not Reported | $36,045 | 16 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $28,697 | $39,901 | 16 |
Public Administration | $32,616 | $42,005 | 13 |
Educational Administration and Supervision | $26,812 | $40,563 | 12 |
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $20,500 | $38,326 | 10 |
Public Health | $30,309 | $33,478 | 7 |
Special Education and Teaching | $32,332 | $38,677 | 6 |
FAQs About Eastern Kentucky University
Is Eastern Kentucky University Online?
EKU offers online and on-campus degree programs. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a quarter of EKU's undergraduates and 60% of its graduate students attend online. It offers over 50 online undergraduate and graduate degrees in today’s top fields.
Is Eastern Kentucky University Accredited?
EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctorate degrees, and certificates.
Accreditation status is important because it shows that a school has passed a rigorous review process conducted by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency. This third-party agency deems that a school's financial practices are sound and its academic programs are of high quality. For this reason, OnlineU only includes accredited online schools on its site.
What Is Eastern Kentucky University Known For?
EKU is known for offering numerous online degree programs across industries that are convenient and affordable for students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. According to College Scorecard, its average tuition costs $13,700 per year, which is about 35% less than the midpoint of $19,500 for all four-year schools in the U.S.
Which Degrees at EKU Provide the Highest Earnings for Graduates?
EKU’s online bachelor’s degrees in safety, fire protection, and nursing fields provide the highest earnings for graduates based on College Scorecard data, with median annual salaries of approximately $78,000, $58,000, and $58,000, respectively.
Another way to gauge whether a specific degree program will financially benefit graduates is salary score. OnlineU’s proprietary Salary Score ranks colleges by how much their alumni earn compared to graduates with the same degree across the country. EKU has a salary score of 26 for its online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
How Difficult Is It To Get Into EKU?
Getting into EKU, which accepts 95% of its applicants, is not difficult. While EKU doesn’t require entrance exams, test scores can still help ensure students are placed in the appropriate English and math courses.
What Are the Admission Requirements for EKU?
EKU admission requirements are straightforward, and applying is a similar process to any college or university. Specifically, EKU requires that applicants submit the following information:
- A free online application
- Official high school transcripts or an equivalent showing a minimum 2.0 GPA
- Official college transcripts for transfer students
- SAT or ACT scores for proper placement (not required)
Graduate admissions are program-specific, so reviewing requirements thoroughly before applying is important.
I/O Psych Grad Student
Reviewed: 9/22/2021
Degree: Psychology
Current grad student. Love my program and professors but the administration at EKU is horrendous. But don't be quick to blame the staff - they are overworked, underpaid, and the lowest paid employees are typically doing the bulk of the student centered services. There is so much bloat in the overpaid upper administration that offices such as Financial Aid or Registrar are the ones who have to cut positions when budget cuts occur (which is almost yearly) even though they remain some of the busiest... Read More
Frankie Howl
Reviewed: 4/21/2017
Degree: Education
I went with EKU's MAT program for my alternative path towards teacher certification. Other than my activity inside a handful of high schools, all of my course work was online. I wish I had decided to run after the first semester instead of sticking it out. Each time they messed something up it was moderately worse than the previous mess-up. I was given bad information constantly, which led to so many problems. The professors are also advisors and clinical observers, meaning they do not have time... Read More
moved on
Reviewed: 8/3/2016
Degree: Nursing
Online students seem to be lower priority than brick-and-mortar ones, and the online program costs more. They take on more students than they can actually progress through the program with the number of educators they have, so a certain [percentage MUST fail or they will be breaching the contract. They use a lot of automated stuff and grad student mentors to guide class discussions in the first 2 semesters, after which I'd guess that "certain percentage" of dropouts bring the class down to a manageable... Read More
Jamie Biddle
Reviewed: 6/11/2016
Degree: Homeland Security
Eastern Kentucky University has a beautiful campus and great people; who are really geared toward your success. I just wish that some of the faculty had more experience in the field in which the course they are teaching applies to and that professors could not switch courses in the middle of a semester (professors with no fire service experience should NOT teach courses in the fire service majors). I also think that if the academic and enrollment advisors did not change so much it would be easier... Read More