From teachers in classrooms to nurses in hospitals and clinics, Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) educates and trains students to fill critical workforce shortages in Kentucky. EKU statewide employment outcomes are the highest among Kentucky public institutions for certificate, associate, bachelor and doctoral degrees at three years out from degree completion, according to KYSTATS employment data.
“EKU is Kentucky’s workforce university,” said EKU President David McFaddin. “We’re proud to serve more Kentucky students than any other regional, comprehensive university, and lead the state in placing graduates in high-demand jobs across the Commonwealth.”
The Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board identified the top five in-demand sectors as healthcare, manufacturing and logistics, construction, education, and professional, scientific and technical services, such as management analysts and marketing specialists. Aligning with workforce needs, EKU offers degree programs in nursing, emergency medical care, occupational therapy, supply chain management, construction management, elementary education, aviation, fire protection and safety engineering technology, marketing and many other high-need fields.
The KYSTATS Postsecondary Feedback Report shows 72.4% of all EKU health graduates, 78.8% of EKU education graduates, and 65.4% of EKU business graduates are employed in the state three years after graduation.
“I think every company should look to EKU to recruit,” said business graduate Brandie Dawson, senior director, HR business partner for Valvoline, Inc. “This is a school that’s doing some incredible work to really train students—not only professionally but also personally. I’ve witnessed that firsthand.”
Fall 2025 graduate Chloe Barrett said, “EKU is preparing me for a successful career in special education and elementary education by providing strong academic programs and hands-on experiences that allow me to apply what I learn in real classrooms.”
Barrett, who is originally from Powell County, continued, “I am very excited to fulfill my dream of being a kindergarten teacher in the very school I have worked for the past few years.”
Founded as a teachers college over a century ago and with more than 60 years of nursing and business education, EKU has a long history of producing quality educators, healthcare professionals and business leaders. On average, EKU graduates approximately 135 nurses and 290 educators a year—directly fueling Kentucky’s workforce and addressing critical shortages across the Commonwealth.
“We intentionally focus on providing certification and degrees in the fields that Kentucky needs the most,” said McFaddin.
To meet evolving industry needs in recent years, EKU launched specialized programs in manufacturing engineering, unmanned aircraft systems and financial technology and cybercrime. EKU seeks to further impact the state and healthcare needs with its proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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Eastern Kentucky University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, educational specialist, and doctorate degrees.