Program Payoff

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota. 29 certificate and associate programs, public. 29 of them report what graduates earn; for the rest, the figure below is what the occupation pays in South Dakota.

ProgramCredentialMedian debtGraduates earnThe occupation pays
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Associate's degree $12,000 $26,353 (14)
Agriculture, General Associate's degree not published $73,590
Soil and Plant Scientists
Air Transportation Undergraduate certificate not published $107,410
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Associate's degree not published $65,240
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Undergraduate certificate not published $51,050
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Animal Sciences Undergraduate certificate not published $41,420
Agricultural Technicians
Biological/Biosystems Engineering Undergraduate certificate not published $164,330
Architectural and Engineering Managers
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions Undergraduate certificate not published $59,870
Surgical Technologists
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician Associate's degree not published $118,380
Construction Managers
Construction Management Undergraduate certificate not published $82,250
Project Management Specialists
Design and Applied Arts Undergraduate certificate not published $48,390
Graphic Designers
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians Undergraduate certificate not published $52,470
Architectural and Civil Drafters
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General Associate's degree not published $60,880
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Undergraduate certificate not published $137,400
General and Operations Managers
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies Undergraduate certificate not published $53,140
Interpreters and Translators
Finance and Financial Management Services Associate's degree not published $137,400
General and Operations Managers
Fine and Studio Arts Undergraduate certificate not published $51,050
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Geography and Cartography Undergraduate certificate not published $119,470
Managers, All Other
Hospitality Administration/Management Undergraduate certificate not published $60,640
Food Service Managers
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services Associate's degree not published $27,940
Childcare Workers
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians Associate's degree not published $49,440
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies Undergraduate certificate not published $86,260
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies Undergraduate certificate not published $102,040
Lawyers
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration Undergraduate certificate not published $146,790
Pharmacists
Political Science and Government Undergraduate certificate not published $51,050
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Undergraduate certificate not published $51,050
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Sociology Associate's degree not published $119,470
Managers, All Other
Statistics Associate's degree not published $96,150
Data Scientists
Visual and Performing Arts, General Undergraduate certificate not published $48,390
Graphic Designers

"Graduates earn" is the median two years after completing, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10; the number in brackets is how many graduates it covers. A dash means the Department has not published a figure — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates — and never that the figure is zero. "The occupation pays" is the state median for the occupation the program leads to, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, and describes everyone in that job rather than graduates of this school.