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Montana State majors and salaries
Montana State University · Bozeman, Montana · Public · 14,451 undergraduates
Computer Science leads the pay table by a wide margin: $111,728 four years after graduation, against $99,411 for Computer Engineering. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing awards the most degrees here (658 over two years), and it also pays above most other programs: $76,146 four years out. Bowling Green State University trail Montana State on median earnings ten years after enrollment, while University of Massachusetts, Boston, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Kansas State University, Rowan University and Towson University are ahead.
Highest-paying bachelor's programs
Every program with earnings data
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Median debt | Pay after 1 yr | Pay after 4 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 205 | $22,750 | $73,188 | $111,728 |
| Computer Engineering | 31 | – | $75,723 | $99,411 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 64 | $20,375 | $83,381 | $98,331 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 80 | $23,500 | $82,167 | $89,002 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 314 | $17,000 | $73,112 | $88,653 |
| Industrial Engineering | 44 | – | – | $88,087 |
| Chemical Engineering | 128 | $19,375 | $70,775 | $87,590 |
| Civil Engineering | 131 | $21,500 | $72,660 | $82,785 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | 76 | $19,000 | $63,488 | $80,089 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 44 | – | $39,686 | $79,621 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 658 | $19,100 | $75,018 | $76,146 |
| Business/Commerce, General | 657 | $20,000 | $52,097 | $71,578 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 120 | $15,750 | $33,987 | $66,498 |
| Mathematics | 51 | $19,500 | $46,514 | $65,731 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 99 | $23,000 | $44,304 | $64,133 |
| Economics | 40 | – | $50,311 | $62,511 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 123 | $21,625 | $41,779 | $60,221 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 0 | – | $30,125 | $55,352 |
| Psychology, General | 293 | $20,215 | $34,100 | $53,623 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 274 | $20,000 | $37,431 | $52,702 |
| History | 62 | $18,875 | $30,853 | $52,187 |
| Political Science and Government | 76 | $18,750 | $43,087 | $51,285 |
| Biology, General | 210 | $20,000 | $36,042 | $50,711 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 88 | $24,050 | $46,293 | $49,241 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 70 | $12,625 | $46,665 | $48,646 |
| Sociology | 107 | $18,030 | $42,944 | $48,273 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 91 | $26,500 | $35,826 | $47,757 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 109 | $22,341 | $40,481 | $46,741 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 80 | $22,250 | $41,585 | $46,657 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 21 | – | $46,321 | – |
| Animal Sciences | 100 | $25,000 | $33,494 | $46,313 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 99 | $17,650 | $31,578 | $45,975 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 125 | $22,850 | $38,732 | $45,523 |
| Plant Sciences | 50 | $21,892 | – | $45,392 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 127 | $22,410 | $33,099 | $45,300 |
| Chemistry | 68 | $20,000 | $44,721 | – |
| Sustainability Studies | 29 | – | $27,215 | $41,979 |
| Music | 27 | – | $42,292 | $39,920 |
Programs are grouped by four-digit CIP code, so one row can cover several related majors. "Graduates" counts bachelor's degrees awarded across the two years that make up each earnings cohort.
Outcomes
- Six-year graduation rate
- 59% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
- First-year students who return
- 79%
- Students per faculty member
- 18
- Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
- $59,536 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
- Median federal debt at graduation
- $19,500 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)
Colleges similar to Montana State
The six public four-year colleges closest to Montana State in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.
| College | Acceptance rate | Avg net price | Earnings after 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH | 81% | $21,453 | $52,269 |
| University of Massachusetts, Boston Boston, MA | 84% | $22,548 | $70,597 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA | 78% | $24,778 | $66,629 |
| Kansas State University Manhattan, KS | 82% | $18,210 | $61,473 |
| Rowan University Glassboro, NJ | 78% | $23,938 | $65,776 |
| Towson University Towson, MD | 82% | $18,120 | $70,158 |
Program earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled, one and four years after finishing, for two pooled graduating classes. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and do not appear. College Scorecard data updated November 2, 2026. How these figures are built · Montana State on College Scorecard