Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (9% of graduates). 19 students for every faculty member, more than at 87% of colleges. 98% of faculty are full-time. Spends $11,618 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

2,247 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 32% of graduates; 88 programs in 25 fields awarded at least one.

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.38018.5% 191
Graduates in this field earn $73,935 4 years out
Business Administration and Management, General 52.02016.9% 154
Graduates in this field earn $67,405 4 years out
Psychology, General 42.01015.7% 129
Graduates in this field earn $54,784 4 years out
Human Development and Family Studies, General 19.07015.4% 122
Graduates in this field earn $50,052 4 years out
Mechanical Engineering 14.19015.3% 119
Graduates in this field earn $87,702 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Business, 15% → 19% of graduates since 2014–15 (424 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

Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration$125,175 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report
4 years after completion$125,175
National median: $116,539Above typical
4 years out, Pell: $129,403 · Non-Pell: $122,599(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $18,481 · 111 graduates, two most recent years combined
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician$95,019 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $74,199
4 years after completion$95,019
National median: $93,843About typical
Median federal debt: $27,000 · 92 graduates, two most recent years combined
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$94,510 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $75,212
4 years after completion$94,510
National median: $100,647Below typical
4 years out, Pell: $73,655 · Non-Pell: $83,219(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $21,050 · 119 graduates, two most recent years combined
Computer Engineering$92,878 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $76,558
4 years after completion$92,878
National median: $109,015Below typical
Median federal debt: $21,500 · 50 graduates, two most recent years combined
Mechanical Engineering$87,702 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $72,158
4 years after completion$87,702
National median: $92,135Below typical
4 years out, Pell: $78,829 · Non-Pell: $78,966(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $26,097 · 276 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 college19 to 1

19 to 1

← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 87% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 17 to 1 in its Common Data Set (10,372 students, 611 faculty).

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

Class sizes

35%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 24% 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	93	11%
10–19	208	24%
20–29	189	22%
30–39	88	10%
40–49	70	8%
50–99	150	18%
100+	58	7%

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
Domestic exchange program
Independent study
Internships
Student-designed major
Teacher certification
Study abroad
Undergraduate research

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

Full-time faculty98%

National median: 67%Above typical

Average faculty salary

$95,441

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$11,618

$11,618

← Lessmore than 61% of 557More →

Endowment per student$45,378

$45,378

← Lessmore than 87% 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;North Dakota State University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;North Dakota State University-Main Campus Common Data Set 2024–25, 2024–25;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)