Northern Illinois University
Dekalb, IL · Public · Visit Website
Programs Analyzed
40
Avg Grad Earnings
$45,000/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
61/100
Tuition
$12,700/yr
All Programs at Northern Illinois University
40 degree programs ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any program for full AI scenario analysis and 10-year earnings projections.
| Program | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing & Nursing Administration | 86 | $75,557/yr | High | 14.5x |
| Computer Science | 85 | $77,257/yr | Very High | 15.9x |
| Business Administration | 83 | $52,724/yr | High | 14.0x |
| Accounting and Related Services | 80 | $63,743/yr | Very High | 15.4x |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 79 | $54,802/yr | Very High | 14.6x |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 79 | $51,128/yr | Very High | 11.9x |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research | 74 | $70,654/yr | Moderate | 12.6x |
| Industrial Engineering | 73 | $72,112/yr | High | 16.5x |
| Marketing | 72 | $51,137/yr | Very High | 12.4x |
| Teacher Education | 72 | $45,184/yr | High | 9.5x |
| Economics | 71 | $45,386/yr | Very High | 12.6x |
| Electrical | 70 | $74,442/yr | Very High | 16.0x |
| Teacher Education | 70 | $44,214/yr | High | 8.5x |
| Mechanical Engineering | 69 | $68,069/yr | Very High | 16.1x |
| Chemistry | 67 | $43,061/yr | High | 11.3x |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 67 | $41,139/yr | Moderate | 10.4x |
| Engineering Technology, General | 66 | $62,117/yr | High | 15.8x |
| Mathematics | 61 | $44,857/yr | Very High | 13.5x |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 59 | $54,047/yr | High | 9.6x |
| Biology, General | 58 | $38,137/yr | High | 11.6x |
| History | 57 | $33,288/yr | High | 9.6x |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 57 | $32,337/yr | High | 5.4x |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness | 56 | $32,158/yr | Moderate | 9.1x |
| Political Science and Government | 55 | $32,225/yr | Very High | 10.9x |
| Human Development & Family Studies | 55 | $28,342/yr | High | 8.0x |
| Special Education and Teaching | 54 | $46,578/yr | High | 10.2x |
| Music | 54 | $42,830/yr | High | 5.2x |
| Sociology | 53 | $35,150/yr | High | 8.8x |
| Psychology, General | 53 | $33,150/yr | High | 8.3x |
| Communication and Media Studies | 52 | $38,490/yr | High | 10.2x |
| Romance Languages & Literatures | 51 | $40,586/yr | Very High | 9.5x |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 49 | $34,136/yr | High | 9.6x |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 47 | $36,409/yr | High | 8.6x |
| Human Services, General | 46 | $29,062/yr | Moderate | 8.2x |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 46 | $26,795/yr | Moderate | 7.1x |
| English Language and Literature, General | 43 | $34,122/yr | Very High | 7.7x |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | 42 | $29,426/yr | Low | 9.0x |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 40 | $23,517/yr | Moderate | 6.5x |
| Journalism | 39 | $31,753/yr | Very High | 8.3x |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 38 | $29,911/yr | High | 9.3x |
About This Data
DegreeWorth analyzes 40 bachelor's degree programs at Northern Illinois University using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.
The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.