Top Ranked Programs
Northwestern State University of Louisiana's program mix is anchored in health and applied professional fields — a signature consistent with its regional public university identity in northwest Louisiana. Health represents the largest share of degree output, with Business accounting for 16% of graduates, followed by Arts at 5% and Education at 3%. Across 28 programs, 21 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, collectively serving roughly 1,396 students annually in the Azimuth coverage set. The program combining the broadest enrollment scale with strong earnings outcomes is Nursing, which anchors the institution's economic profile. Among the most popular programs, Nursing program graduates 318 students with median earnings of $86,608 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #136 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business Administration and General Studies also enroll substantial cohorts of 118 and 117 graduates respectively, with four-year median earnings of $51,927 and $47,652, reflecting the institution's strength in health and applied fields that feed directly into regional labor markets. The highest-earning programs at Northwestern State University of Louisiana are concentrated in clinical and applied health pathways — fields where graduates enter the workforce directly and four-year earnings reflect labor-market outcomes rather than graduate-school continuation. Nursing leads with median earnings of $86,608 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #136 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions and Accounting follow with median earnings of $66,559 and $60,861 respectively, each representing high-mobility pathways with stable regional and national hiring demand. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these health-oriented program families align with long-run labor-market trends.