Top Ranked Programs
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's program mix is anchored in Education, with meaningful enrollment across applied health, business, and workforce-oriented fields — a portfolio shaped by the institution's land-grant identity and regional service mission. Education accounts for 11% of graduates, Business accounts for 9%, and Engineering accounts for 7%. Across 66 programs serving roughly 1,999 students annually, 54 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in applied and technical fields. Azimuth ranks Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians #5 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $87,442. Azimuth ranks Mechanical Engineering #214 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 57 graduates earning $86,238. Air Transportation adds another applied-career pathway, with Azimuth ranking the program #10 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions and graduates earning $81,394. The [program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) details how Azimuth evaluates these outcomes. The largest programs by cohort size tell a different story. The Air Transportation program graduates 150 students annually with median earnings of $81,394, while The Subject-Specific Teacher Education program graduates 120 students earning $67,961 and The Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians program graduates 89 students earning $79,299. Several of these larger programs — particularly in education and social-service fields — are pathways where four-year earnings may undercount longer-term trajectory, since graduates often enter roles with structured salary scales that rise with experience and credentialing. The [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these fields align with regional and national labor-market demand. ```