Master's+3% vs national median262 grads tracked
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
Ranked 8th of 28 master's programs in Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$58,363
middle 50%: $40,696 – $80,673
Median · 5 years out
$65,563
middle 50%: $45,230 – $90,230
Median · 10 years out
$62,487
middle 50%: $45,557 – $97,392
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies (master's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Master's graduates in Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies earn a median of $58k in their first year. Salary growth reaches $66k by the fifth year before settling at $62k after a decade.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
5.8 yrs
≈ $6,252 total interest
Same major at other universities
CUNY Graduate School & University Center
$77,405 · 5 yrs out
University of Illinois Chicago
$70,870 · 5 yrs out
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
$67,967 · 5 yrs out
University of Michigan
$66,438 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at Austin
$66,172 · 5 yrs out
Southern Connecticut State University
$65,986 · 5 yrs out
Texas Woman's University
$65,194 · 5 yrs out
Indiana University - Bloomington
$64,560 · 5 yrs out
Pennsylvania State University (The) - Harrisburg
$64,402 · 5 yrs out
University of Hawaii at Manoa
$63,750 · 5 yrs out
Loyola University Chicago
$63,134 · 5 yrs out
University of Iowa
$62,158 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Northeastern Illinois University
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$108,546 · 5 yrs out
History (Master's)
$107,901 · 5 yrs out
Physical Sciences (Master's)
$97,859 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Master's)
$95,990 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$89,069 · 5 yrs out
Computer Science (Bachelor's)
$89,069 · 5 yrs out
Education (Master's)
$88,000 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$84,309 · 5 yrs out
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology (Master's)
$77,146 · 5 yrs out
Social Sciences (Master's)
$73,271 · 5 yrs out
Economics (Bachelor's)
$70,625 · 5 yrs out
Biological and Biomedical Sciences (Master's)
$69,841 · 5 yrs out