Top Ranked Programs
Montana State University's program mix is anchored in engineering and applied technical fields—a portfolio shaped by the institution's land-grant research-university identity and regional economic context. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 292 graduates, followed by Nursing, Mechanical Engineering, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General, and Psychology, General. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 2,607 students annually, several deliver strong four-year earnings outcomes aligned with Montana's workforce demand. The earnings pattern reflects strength in applied engineering and technical fields. Computer Science leads with median earnings of $111,728 four years after enrollment across 100 graduates, followed by Mechanical Engineering with $88,653 and Chemical Engineering with $87,590. Nursing and Business/Commerce, General round out the highest-earning cohorts, demonstrating consistent payoff in fields where regional employers actively recruit. These outcomes correspond to Montana State University's concentration in Engineering—a field where Montana's natural-resource industries, construction sector, and technology employers create sustained demand for graduates. The program portfolio balances high-mobility direct-to-workforce pathways in engineering and applied technology with foundational fields where some graduates continue to graduate or professional study. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how Montana State University's dominant program families align with regional and national labor-market trends, particularly in sectors where land-grant universities traditionally serve as primary talent pipelines.