1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Southwest Minnesota State University](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/) 4. / 5. Programs & majors brief Programs & majors brief Copy linkPrint brief # Southwest Minnesota State University Majors & Programs Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/southwest-minnesota-state-university/similar/) **On this page**+ ## Which majors earn the most at Southwest Minnesota State University? Southwest Minnesota State University has a wide spread in program earnings, from a clearly higher-earning health field to business fields at more moderate levels four years after completion. Nursing has median earnings of $83,735 and 81 degrees awarded. Criminal Justice follows with median earnings of $64,654 across 16 degrees awarded. Among the other higher-earning programs, Finance records median earnings of $59,824 and 11 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management posts $55,559 with 45 degrees awarded. The figures show that earnings vary substantially by field, even among the university’s larger and higher-earning programs. ### 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. - Education**89 · 20.8%** - Business**82 · 19.2%** - Health professions**81 · 18.9%** - Parks and recreation**40 · 9.3%** - Psychology**33 · 7.7%** - Other**103 · 24.1%** Find a field Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name 25 of 25 programs shown Four-year earnings · first six matching programs **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 81 degrees awarded** $83,735 **Criminal Justice and Corrections 16 degrees awarded** $64,654 **Finance and Financial Management Services 11 degrees awarded** $59,824 **Marketing 9 degrees awarded** $58,574 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 45 degrees awarded** $55,559 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 40 degrees awarded** $54,554 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 81 | $83,735 | — | | Criminal Justice and Corrections small degree count | 16 | $64,654 | — | | Finance and Financial Management Services small degree count | 11 | $59,824 | — | | Marketing small degree count | 9 | $58,574 | — | | Business Administration, Management and Operations | 45 | $55,559 | — | | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 40 | $54,554 | — | | Psychology, General | 20 | $47,249 | — | | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 22 | $47,219 | — | | Social Work small degree count | 15 | $45,467 | — | | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 38 | $43,904 | — | | Agricultural Business and Management small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Plant Sciences small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Radio, Television, and Digital Communication small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Computer Science small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Special Education and Teaching | 23 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Education, General small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Biology, General small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Political Science and Government small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Sociology small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Fine and Studio Arts small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Accounting and Related Services small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Hospitality Administration/Management small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — | | History small degree count | 7 | 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 Southwest Minnesota State University? Ten largest programs by degrees awarded **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing** 81 **Business Administration, Management and Operations** 45 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness** 40 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods** 38 **Special Education and Teaching** 23 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas** 22 **Psychology, General** 20 **Criminal Justice and Corrections** 16 **Social Work** 15 **Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology** 13 Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources) ## How do Southwest Minnesota 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 Earnings data cover 10 bachelor's programs at Southwest Minnesota State University, and award counts are degrees conferred in one academic year, not student headcounts. The mix is led by Education at 20.8% of degrees awarded, with Business at 19.2% and Health Professions at 18.9%. The largest program, Nursing, confers 81 degrees a year; its graduates earn $83,735 four years after completion. Criminal Justice is much smaller at 16 degrees, yet its median of $64,654 sits at 1.17x the national figure for that field. Business Administration and Management, the second-largest program, awards 45 degrees and shows earnings of $55,559. Across all fields, 5.0% of degrees awarded 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/).