Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (11% of graduates). 16 students for every faculty member, more than at 72% of colleges. 59% of faculty are full-time. Spends $7,245 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

958 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 33% of graduates; 37 programs in 18 fields awarded at least one.

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.380111% 110
Graduates in this field earn $89,659 4 years out
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 31.05055.9% 57
Graduates in this field earn $49,912 4 years out
Psychology, General 42.01015.4% 52
Graduates in this field earn $41,266 4 years out
Communication, General 09.01005.3% 51
Graduates in this field earn $48,499 4 years out
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 43.01045.2% 50
Graduates in this field earn $49,956 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Communication and journalism, 0.0% → 5.3% of graduates since 2014–15 (51 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$89,659 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $74,454
4 years after completion$89,659
National median: $88,910About typical
4 years out, Pell: $66,972 · Non-Pell: $67,031(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $20,744 · 236 graduates, two most recent years combined
Computer and Information Sciences, General$80,694 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $56,660
4 years after completion$80,694
National median: $92,374Below typical
4 years out, Pell: $64,075 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $29,750 · 115 graduates, two most recent years combined
Finance and Financial Management Services$65,380 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $46,812
4 years after completion$65,380
National median: $83,343Below typical
Median federal debt: $24,750 · 32 graduates, two most recent years combined
Management Information Systems and Services$63,514 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $53,153
4 years after completion$63,514
National median: $83,290Below typical
Median federal debt: $26,450 · 18 graduates, two most recent years combined
Accounting and Related Services$61,389 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $47,646
4 years after completion$61,389
National median: $76,194Below typical
4 years out, Pell: $45,576 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $23,625 · 49 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college16 to 1

16 to 1

← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 72% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 19 to 1 in its Common Data Set (5,821 students, 309 faculty).

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

58%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 2% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section

Undergraduate class sections by number of students
Students	sections	Share
2–9	186	23%
10–19	289	35%
20–29	244	30%
30–39	66	8%
40–49	17	2%
50–99	15	2%
100+	2	0%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

Accelerated program
Cross-registration
Distance learning
Double major
Dual enrollment
English as a Second Language
Honors program
Independent study
Internships
Liberal arts/career combination
Teacher certification
Weekend college
Study abroad
Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in arts, computer literacy, English composition, history, humanities, math, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty59%

National median: 67%Below typical

Average faculty salary

$79,129

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$7,245

$7,245

← Lessmore than 14% of 557More →

Endowment per student$16,760

$16,760

← Lessmore than 64% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Columbus State University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;Columbus State University Common Data Set 2024–25, 2024–25;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)