Programs & majors brief

University of South Dakota Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at University of South Dakota?

At University of South Dakota, four-year earnings differ sharply across fields, so the program selected matters to the return picture. Health and Medical Administrative Services sits at the higher end, with median earnings of $74,816 four years after completion and 19 degrees awarded.

Nursing also posts higher earnings of $73,025 across 163 degrees awarded. The more moderate-earning fields in this group include Business Administration and Management, at $64,890 with 75 degrees awarded, and Teacher Education, at $46,034 with 100 degrees awarded.

Higher earnings appear in health-related fields here, while the large education field sits at a more moderate level.

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 professions389 · 30.3%
  • Business242 · 18.8%
  • Education142 · 11.1%
  • Biological sciences77 · 6.0%
  • Psychology66 · 5.1%
  • Other369 · 28.7%

39 of 39 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Health and Medical Administrative Services 19 degrees awarded
$74,816
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 163 degrees awarded
$73,025
Economics 14 degrees awarded
$71,463
Accounting and Related Services 55 degrees awarded
$71,179
Finance and Financial Management Services 46 degrees awarded
$70,100
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions 37 degrees awarded
$68,556

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
ProgramDegrees awarded4-yr earningsField rank
Health and Medical Administrative Services small degree count19$74,816—
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing163$73,025—
Economics small degree count14$71,463—
Accounting and Related Services55$71,179—
Finance and Financial Management Services46$70,100—
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions37$68,556—
Business Administration, Management and Operations75$64,890—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services small degree count18$64,069—
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General78$61,518—
Political Science and Government28$61,362—
Biology, General69$58,099—
Criminal Justice and Corrections40$58,046—
Marketing40$55,261—
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions66$52,211—
Communication and Media Studies56$52,100—
Psychology, General66$50,993—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities53$50,306—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas small degree count16$50,270—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods100$46,034—
Special Education and Teaching26$45,415—
History small degree count8$45,096—
Fine and Studio Arts small degree count13$43,945—
English Language and Literature, General small degree count8$31,155—
Computer and Information Sciences, General small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Neurobiology and Neurosciences small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Sustainability Studies small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
International/Globalization Studies small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness59Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Anthropology small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Sociology small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Human Resources Management and Services small degree count5Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at University of South Dakota?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
163
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
100
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
78
Business Administration, Management and Operations
75
Biology, General
69
Psychology, General
66
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
66
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
59
Communication and Media Studies
56
Accounting and Related Services
55

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions

How do University of South Dakota majors rank nationally?

National program ranks are not reported for this school.

How Azimuth compares programs across colleges

Further analysis

Outcomes at University of South Dakota vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has published earnings data for 23 bachelor's programs.

Award counts here are degrees awarded in one academic year, not a count of students. The degree mix is concentrated in health and business.

Health Professions accounts for 30.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 18.8% and Education at 11.1%. The largest single program, Nursing, awarded 163 degrees and shows median earnings of $73,025 four years after completion.

The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Health and Medical Administrative Services graduates earn $74,816, from 19 degrees awarded. Teacher Education, the second-largest program at 100 degrees, reports median earnings of $46,034, well below the top earners.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.