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Programs & majors brief

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# South Dakota State University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/south-dakota-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/south-dakota-state-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/south-dakota-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/south-dakota-state-university/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/south-dakota-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at South Dakota State University?

Among the largest programs at South Dakota State University, Mechanical Engineering leads with median earnings of $87,704 four years after completion, alongside 95 degrees awarded. Nursing, the most-awarded field at 336 degrees, follows at $77,932.

The highest-earning program overall, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, reaches $122,169 with 62 degrees awarded. Electrical Engineering follows at $103,018 on 19 degrees.

Earnings differ across these fields and the larger moderate-earning programs such as Animal Sciences, where completers earn $53,784.

### Major mix · each dot ≈ 1% of completions

Share of reported completions in the bachelor’s programs included here. Each dot represents approximately 1% of those completions. Counts are credentials, not unique students; excluded programs are not zero activity.

-   Health professions**453 · 22.7%**
-   Agriculture**285 · 14.3%**
-   Engineering**165 · 8.3%**
-   Business**157 · 7.9%**
-   Education**116 · 5.8%**
-   Other**821 · 41.1%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

59 of 59 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration 62 degrees awarded**
$122,169

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 19 degrees awarded**
$103,018

**Mechanical Engineering 95 degrees awarded**
$87,704

**Computer and Information Sciences, General 27 degrees awarded**
$83,815

**Civil Engineering 40 degrees awarded**
$82,486

**Agricultural Engineering 11 degrees awarded**
$79,322

Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.

Compare all matching programs

Reported bachelor’s programs · earnings, program size and field ranks

| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 62 | $122,169 | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering small degree count | 19 | $103,018 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 95 | $87,704 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 27 | $83,815 | — |
| Civil Engineering | 40 | $82,486 | — |
| Agricultural Engineering small degree count | 11 | $79,322 | — |
| Plant Sciences | 36 | $78,494 | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 336 | $77,932 | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 27 | $73,360 | — |
| Political Science and Government small degree count | 14 | $70,727 | — |
| Agricultural Mechanization small degree count | 18 | $67,746 | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 24 | $67,607 | — |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 42 | $67,425 | — |
| Mathematics | 21 | $67,059 | — |
| Economics small degree count | 8 | $64,432 | — |
| Agriculture, General | 45 | $61,132 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 30 | $60,081 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 9 | $57,986 | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count | 14 | $57,725 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 51 | $56,400 | — |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies small degree count | 16 | $56,132 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 35 | $55,345 | — |
| Biology, General | 89 | $54,446 | — |
| Animal Sciences | 117 | $53,784 | — |
| Design and Applied Arts | 22 | $52,630 | — |
| Sociology | 21 | $51,910 | — |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 34 | $50,623 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 22 | $50,420 | — |
| English Language and Literature, General small degree count | 8 | $50,335 | — |
| Psychology, General | 73 | $50,210 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 57 | $50,076 | — |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management small degree count | 17 | $48,319 | — |
| History | 32 | $46,502 | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 60 | $46,487 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 59 | $43,934 | — |
| Hospitality Administration/Management small degree count | 12 | $40,969 | — |
| Agricultural Production Operations | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Food Science and Technology small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Landscape Architecture small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Journalism small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Apparel and Textiles small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Statistics | 28 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geography and Environmental Studies small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geography and Cartography small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Air Transportation | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Health | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 85 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Construction Management | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |

[Program data and definitions](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## What are the largest programs at South Dakota State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
336

**Animal Sciences**
117

**Mechanical Engineering**
95

**Biology, General**
89

**Business/Managerial Economics**
85

**Psychology, General**
73

**Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration**
62

**Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**
60

**Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods**
59

**Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas**
57

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources)

## How do South Dakota State University majors rank nationally?

National program ranks are not reported for this school.

[How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## Further analysis

Outcomes at South Dakota State University vary sharply by field, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has published earnings data for 36 bachelor's programs.

The degree mix is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 22.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Agriculture & Natural Resources at 14.3% and Engineering at 8.3%. The largest single program is Nursing, at 336 degrees a year, with a median of $77,932 four years after completion.

The highest earnings belong to a smaller program: Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration completers earn a median of $122,169 four years after completion, from 62 degrees awarded annually. Across all fields, 16.4% of degrees are in STEM.

## Data & methodology

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/).