Top Ranked Programs
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's program mix is anchored in Health, with meaningful enrollment in business, education, and applied professional fields. Business accounts for 17% of graduates, Engineering represents 11%, and Education makes up 4% — a distribution that reflects the university's regional comprehensive identity and its strength in career-oriented disciplines. Across 40 programs serving roughly 2,377 students annually, 30 meet Azimuth's [ranking threshold](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). Nursing combines strong enrollment with solid earnings, making it a central driver of the institution's overall financial outcomes. Nursing is the largest program with 479 graduates and median earnings of $83,867 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #106 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Business Administration program graduates 300 students with median earnings of $65,403, and the The Psychology, General program graduates 177 students with median earnings of $48,951. On the earnings side, Computer Science leads at $106,082 with 72 graduates, and Azimuth ranks it #98 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Nursing follows at $83,867, and Azimuth ranks it #106 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Several of the institution's strongest programs are direct-to-workforce pathways — particularly nursing and construction management — where four-year earnings reflect labor-market demand rather than graduate-school deferral. Programs like Communication and Media Studies and Biology, General, by contrast, often serve as foundations for graduate study, meaning four-year earnings may undercount the long-term trajectory for students who continue to advanced degrees. The [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with national hiring trends and wage growth. ```