Quad
Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplin, MO · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Business/Commerce, General (21% of graduates). 15 students for every faculty member, more than at 66% of colleges. 53% of faculty are full-time. Spends $9,817 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

679 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 53% of graduates; 35 programs in 19 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Business/Commerce, General 52.010121% 144
    Graduates in this field earn $55,286 4 years out
  2. Elementary Education and Teaching 13.12029.3% 63
    Graduates in this field earn $39,419 4 years out
  3. Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 24.01019.1% 62
    Graduates in this field earn $46,892 4 years out
  4. Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 51.00008.4% 57
  5. Psychology, General 42.01015.2% 35
    Graduates in this field earn $41,008 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Health professions, 11% → 17% of graduates since 2014–15 (113 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

  1. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$75,985 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $62,273

    4 years after completion$75,985
    National median: $88,910Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $55,480 · Non-Pell: $59,704(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $22,750 · 56 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer and Information Sciences, General$75,295 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$75,295
    National median: $92,374Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $56,758 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 33 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other$64,765 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $52,539

    4 years after completion$64,765
    National median: $68,245Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $50,629 · Non-Pell: $55,004(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $17,963 · 67 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Public Health$63,965 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$63,965
    National median: $58,808Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 32 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Political Science and Government$62,576 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$62,576
    National median: $63,293About typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 2 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 college15 to 1
15 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 66% of 1,892More students per faculty →

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

Full-time faculty53%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$60,472

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$9,817
$9,817
← Lessmore than 41% of 557More →
Endowment per student$17,120
$17,120
← Lessmore than 65% 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;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)