1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Missouri Southern State University](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Missouri Southern State University Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 27, 2026 [Overview](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Missouri Southern State University graduates earn? The reported median is $52,419 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$4,882 per year. Missouri Southern State University has higher-than-expected earnings, but its median sits below the peer level. Graduates earn about $6,407 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) in the 75th percentile and the return pillar in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,482. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $4,925. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $52,419 four years after completion, in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions of the same type and size, is $57,301; the university is $4,882 below it. Program choice corresponds with a wide modeled earnings spread at Missouri Southern State University. Scenarios modeled from the program mix run from $40,006 on the downside to $68,911 on the upside, with $52,419 as the typical scenario. At the program level, median earnings four years after completion are $75,985 in Nursing, $75,295 in Computer and Information Sciences, and $64,765 in Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences. Those program figures help explain why the earnings scenarios cover a broad range. An estimated 28.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so this estimate matters when reading the reported median: those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $52,419 **Rank for difference from expectations** 75th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Missouri Southern State University reported median** $52,419 **Peer schools comparable schools · $4,882 above Missouri Southern State University** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $6,407 below Missouri Southern State University** $46,012 School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. Peer comparisons and model expectations are different benchmarks. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $40,006 to $68,911, around the reported median of $52,419. Compare the lower scenario with [Missouri Southern State University borrowing and monthly payments](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan. Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate. Earnings four years after completion Planning rangeReported median **Lower estimate** $40,006 **Median · reported** $52,419 **Higher estimate** $68,911 Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates. [Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). ## Do Missouri Southern State University graduates earn more than expected? Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added). Missouri Southern State University graduates’ reported earnings are $6,407 above that expectation, the 75th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls. The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Missouri Southern State University caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$1,482 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$4,925 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$6,407 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Missouri Southern State University report the highest earnings? Program choice matters at Missouri Southern State University, where published earnings range from higher-earning health and computing fields to a more moderate education field four years after completion. Nursing reports median earnings of $75,985 and 41 degrees awarded, while Computer and Information Sciences reports $75,295 with 14 degrees awarded. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences sits between those higher figures and the moderate end, with $64,765 in median earnings and 63 degrees awarded. Teacher Education, one of the larger fields, records $39,419 and 90 degrees awarded. The contrast shows that four-year earnings vary materially by field, including among programs with substantial numbers of degrees awarded. Program choice makes a clear difference at Missouri Southern State University: 15 bachelor’s programs have published earnings data. The highest-earning fields include Nursing, with 41 degrees awarded and median earnings of $75,985 four years after completion. Computer and Information Sciences awarded 14 degrees and had median earnings of $75,295 at the same point. Health-related options appear in more than one of the leading fields. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences awarded 63 degrees, and its completers had median earnings of $64,765 four years after completion. Public Health awarded 16 degrees and posted $63,965 in median earnings. The earnings figures across these fields show why the intended field matters alongside the university-wide outcome. The chart shows up to eight fields with the highest reported median earnings four years after completion. Compare the field names as well as the amounts: the school-wide median can conceal substantial differences between programs. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** $75,985 **Computer and Information Sciences, General** $75,295 **Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other** $64,765 **Public Health** $63,965 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness** $58,701 **Business/Commerce, General** $55,286 **Social Work** $49,855 **Criminal Justice and Corrections** $49,114 [Explore Missouri Southern State University program cohorts and field ranks](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put the downside at $40,006, the typical case at $52,419, and the upside at $68,911. Nursing is the highest-earning named program at $75,985 four years after completion, while Teacher Education is the lowest-earning among the largest programs at $39,419. The spread shows how much the return picture varies by field. Missouri Southern State University graduates earn a median $52,419 four years after completion among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places this earnings measure in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and the earnings cohort contains 1,243 completers. Graduates earn about $6,407 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) means the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. Scenarios modeled from the program mix put typical earnings at $52,419, with a downside scenario of $40,006 and an upside scenario of $68,911. An estimated 28.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings placement and higher-than-expected result point in different directions. ## Data & methodology A missing figure does not mean zero. Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).