Federal data
Highest earning master's business administration programs in Tennessee
Tennessee business administration programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $149,786 | 154 |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee | Knoxville | Public, 4-year | $106,707 | 162 |
| 3 | Christian Brothers University | Memphis | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $89,547 | 43 |
| 4 | University of Memphis | Memphis | Public, 4-year | $83,471 | 153 |
| 5 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | Chattanooga | Public, 4-year | $82,079 | 132 |
| 6 | Union University | Jackson | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $76,829 | 63 |
| 7 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public, 4-year | $76,031 | 94 |
| 8 | Tennessee State University | Nashville | Public, 4-year | $73,800 | 61 |
| 9 | Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville | Public, 4-year | $73,759 | 90 |
| 10 | Lipscomb University | Nashville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $69,501 | 126 |
| 11 | Milligan University | Milligan | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $67,359 | 38 |
| 12 | Cumberland University | Lebanon | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $64,943 | 70 |
| 13 | Strayer University | Memphis | For-profit, 4-year | $64,745 | 2,702 |
| 14 | Trevecca Nazarene University | Nashville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $64,161 | 284 |
| 15 | East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public, 4-year | $63,888 | 92 |
| 16 | King University | Bristol | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $59,961 | 156 |
| 17 | Lincoln Memorial University | Harrogate | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $58,900 | 82 |
| 18 | Tusculum University | Greeneville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $58,594 | 35 |
| 19 | Carson-Newman University | Jefferson City | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $58,386 | 75 |
| 20 | Lee University | Cleveland | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $55,175 | 35 |
| 21 | Herzing University | Nashville | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $54,065 | 190 |
| 22 | Bryan College-Dayton | Dayton | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $52,331 | 40 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.