Top Ranked Programs
Southwestern Oklahoma State University's program mix is anchored in Health, with meaningful enrollment in education and business — a portfolio shaped by the institution's role as a regional public university serving western Oklahoma. Business accounts for 14% of graduates, Education represents 9%, and Arts makes up 2%. Across 22 programs serving roughly 835 students annually, 9 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold — a focused portfolio where health-sciences and applied-professional fields drive the strongest financial outcomes. The highest earnings come from health and nursing programs. The Nursing program graduates 192 students and delivers median earnings of $89,549 four years after enrollment; Azimuth ranks the program #107 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Business Administration follows with 116 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $51,657, and Azimuth ranks it #309 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Subject-Specific Teacher Education, with 40 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $47,607, holds a rank of #110 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Nursing combines strong cohort scale with solid pay, making it the program that contributes most to the institution's overall earnings profile. The largest programs by enrollment — Nursing (192 graduates), Business Administration (116 graduates), and Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, and Administration (76 graduates) — reflect the university's applied-professional orientation. Several of these fields feed directly into local and regional labor markets in healthcare, education, and business administration, where demand remains steady across rural and mid-size Oklahoma communities. The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides broader context for how these program families align with national hiring trends. Education-focused programs like Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General and Subject-Specific Teacher Education serve students planning to stay in the region, while health programs channel graduates into careers with stronger wage trajectories and broader geographic mobility.