Graduates of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology earn median 4-year earnings of $87,878, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 87.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $18,570 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 94.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks South Dakota School of Mines and Technology #90 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That performance runs well above the $56,249 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the school's deep concentration in engineering and applied technical fields that connect directly to high-demand labor markets. The program lineup at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is anchored by Mechanical Engineering, which combines strong cohort scale with some of the highest early-career earnings at the institution. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 95 students with median earnings of $85,350 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #164 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology — at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Civil Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering follow a similar pattern: both programs graduate cohorts of 48 and 33 students respectively, with four-year median earnings of $80,613 and $94,201, and Azimuth ranks them #115 and #103 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Engineering round out the top programs, with four-year median earnings of $95,639 and $92,815 respectively, each ranking nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions at #91 and #41. The Engineering concentration — Engineering representing 76% of graduates and other STEM fields at 7% — helps explain why South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's institution-wide earnings so consistently outpace the peer median and why the school's return on investment ranks among the strongest in the Azimuth coverage set.
Graduates of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology earn median 4-year earnings of $87,878, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 87.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $18,570 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 94.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks South Dakota School of Mines and Technology #90 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That performance runs well above the $56,249 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the school's deep concentration in engineering and applied technical fields that connect directly to high-demand labor markets. The program lineup at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is anchored by Mechanical Engineering, which combines strong cohort scale with some of the highest early-career earnings at the institution. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 95 students with median earnings of $85,350 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #164 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology — at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Civil Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering follow a similar pattern: both programs graduate cohorts of 48 and 33 students respectively, with four-year median earnings of $80,613 and $94,201, and Azimuth ranks them #115 and #103 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Engineering round out the top programs, with four-year median earnings of $95,639 and $92,815 respectively, each ranking nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions at #91 and #41. The Engineering concentration — Engineering representing 76% of graduates and other STEM fields at 7% — helps explain why South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's institution-wide earnings so consistently outpace the peer median and why the school's return on investment ranks among the strongest in the Azimuth coverage set.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology earn median 4-year earnings of $87,878, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 87.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $18,570 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 94.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks South Dakota School of Mines and Technology #90 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That performance runs well above the $56,249 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the school's deep concentration in engineering and applied technical fields that connect directly to high-demand labor markets. The program lineup at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is anchored by Mechanical Engineering, which combines strong cohort scale with some of the highest early-career earnings at the institution. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 95 students with median earnings of $85,350 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #164 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology — at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Civil Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering follow a similar pattern: both programs graduate cohorts of 48 and 33 students respectively, with four-year median earnings of $80,613 and $94,201, and Azimuth ranks them #115 and #103 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Engineering round out the top programs, with four-year median earnings of $95,639 and $92,815 respectively, each ranking nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions at #91 and #41. The Engineering concentration — Engineering representing 76% of graduates and other STEM fields at 7% — helps explain why South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's institution-wide earnings so consistently outpace the peer median and why the school's return on investment ranks among the strongest in the Azimuth coverage set.
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology earn median 4-year earnings of $87,878, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 87.9 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $18,570 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the 94.9 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks South Dakota School of Mines and Technology #90 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That performance runs well above the $56,249 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the school's deep concentration in engineering and applied technical fields that connect directly to high-demand labor markets. The program lineup at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is anchored by Mechanical Engineering, which combines strong cohort scale with some of the highest early-career earnings at the institution. The Mechanical Engineering program graduates 95 students with median earnings of $85,350 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #164 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions per the program-ranking methodology — at 0.9x the national benchmark for the field. Civil Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering follow a similar pattern: both programs graduate cohorts of 48 and 33 students respectively, with four-year median earnings of $80,613 and $94,201, and Azimuth ranks them #115 and #103 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Engineering round out the top programs, with four-year median earnings of $95,639 and $92,815 respectively, each ranking nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions at #91 and #41. The Engineering concentration — Engineering representing 76% of graduates and other STEM fields at 7% — helps explain why South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's institution-wide earnings so consistently outpace the peer median and why the school's return on investment ranks among the strongest in the Azimuth coverage set.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's program mix is anchored almost entirely in engineering and applied science — a focused portfolio that reflects the institution's identity as a specialized technical university in Rapid City, South Dakota. Engineering accounts for 76% of graduates, with other STEM fields representing another 7%, together forming the core of what the school produces and what employers recruit for. This concentration is the defining feature of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's program signature — closer in character to a focused engineering college than a comprehensive regional university. The program combining the largest graduate cohort with the strongest earnings is Mechanical Engineering, which anchors the institution's economic output and drives its strong overall earnings profile. Among the most popular programs, Mechanical Engineering program graduates 95 students annually with median earnings of $85,350 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks it #164 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Civil Engineering and Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering follow as the next largest programs, with graduates earning $80,613 and $94,201 respectively, both reflecting the strong direct-to-workforce outcomes typical of engineering disciplines at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The highest-earning programs reinforce the institution's technical depth. Artificial Intelligence leads with median earnings of $95,639 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks it #91 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions — followed by Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering at $94,201 and Industrial Engineering at $92,815. These are high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways where graduates enter national labor markets in mining, energy, civil infrastructure, and technology — fields with strong and durable demand as described in the supply and demand for college graduates framework. Across 17 programs serving roughly 368 students annually, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology delivers a focused, high-return program portfolio with a clear occupational signature.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
