Quad
Dakota State UniversityMadison, SD · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance (23% of graduates). 18 students for every faculty member, more than at 83% of colleges. 75% of faculty are full-time. Spends $8,768 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

403 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 65% of graduates; 22 programs in 11 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance 11.100323% 91
    Graduates in this field earn $78,637 4 years out
  2. Computer and Information Sciences, General 11.010116% 64
    Graduates in this field earn $85,696 4 years out
  3. Elementary Education and Teaching 13.120210% 42
    Graduates in this field earn $48,997 4 years out
  4. Special Education and Teaching, Other 13.10998.4% 34
    Graduates in this field earn $46,095 4 years out
  5. Business Administration and Management, General 52.02017.7% 31
    Graduates in this field earn $69,841 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 36% → 53% of graduates since 2014–15 (215 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. Computer and Information Sciences, General$85,696 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $61,287

    4 years after completion$85,696
    National median: $92,374Below typical

    Median federal debt: $20,059 · 117 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management$78,637 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $58,166

    4 years after completion$78,637
    National median: $85,063Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $70,262 · Non-Pell: $74,207(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $24,000 · 236 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Business Administration, Management and Operations$69,841 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $44,748

    4 years after completion$69,841
    National median: $68,257About typical

    Median federal debt: $20,508 · 25 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Information Science/Studies$56,991 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $63,636

    4 years after completion$56,991
    National median: $85,294Below typical

    Median federal debt: $19,343 · 33 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$48,997 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $46,627

    4 years after completion$48,997
    National median: $47,382About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $40,748 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,500 · 36 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 college18 to 1
18 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 83% 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 faculty75%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$89,528

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$8,768
$8,768
← Lessmore than 28% of 557More →
Endowment per student$8,534
$8,534
← Lessmore than 36% 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)