Montana State University
Bozeman, MT · Public · Graduate degree-granting
Located in Bozeman, Montana, Montana State University is a public institution, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With 14,451 students, it is a mid-size institution. Graduates earn a median of $53,263 ten years after enrollment, which is 31% above the national median of $40,747. On the academic side, the graduation rate is 57.2%. For cost considerations, median graduate debt is $22,500, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 2.37x. The average net price after financial aid is $22,499 per year. The most popular programs include Business, Registered Nursing, Mechanical Engineering, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Psychology.
Key Outcomes
Median Earnings (10yr)
$53,263
Graduation Rate
57.2%
Median Debt
$22,500
Average Net Price
$22,499
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
0.59x
Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
2.37x
Admissions & Enrollment
Total Enrollment
14,451
Admission Rate
82.1%
Average SAT
1183
Retention Rate
78.5%
Cost
In-State Tuition
$8,460
Out-of-State Tuition
$33,287
Pell Grant Rate
16.4%
Federal Loan Rate
31.4%
Net Cost by Family Income
Income $0–$30K
$17,797
Income $30K–$48K
$18,570
Income $48K–$75K
$21,977
Income $110K+
$25,905
Student Demographics
Women
49.3%
White
83.4%
Black
0.6%
Hispanic
6.6%
Asian
1.0%
Two or More Races
5.5%
Student Loan Performance
Repayment Rate (3yr)
69.4%
Accreditations
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics — Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship, Didactic Program in Dietetics (Accredited)
- Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education — Nurse Midwifery (MIDWF) - Basic certificate and graduate nurse-midwifery education programs for registered nurses (Preaccredited)
- American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs (Accredited)
- Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education — Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels, Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels, Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels (Accredited)
- Commission on English Language Program Accreditation — English Language (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Commission on Accreditation — Art and Design (ART) - Degree-granting schools and departments and non-degree-granting programs (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation — Music (MUS) (Accredited)
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education — Teacher Education (TED) - Baccalaureate and graduate programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional personnel for elementary and secondary schools (Accredited)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities — Institutional Accreditation (Accredited)
- Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Accreditation Committee — Graduate Teacher Education Accreditation Council (GTEAC) - Graduate programs (Accredited)
Programs (149)
Bachelor (51)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Business | $71,578 | 291 |
| Registered Nursing | $76,146 | 284 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $88,653 | 171 |
| Family & Consumer Sciences | $52,702 | 145 |
| Psychology | $53,623 | 140 |
| Computer Science | $111,728 | 102 |
| Biology | $50,711 | 100 |
| Teacher Education | $45,523 | 76 |
| Civil Engineering | $82,785 | 73 |
| Chemical Engineering | $87,590 | 70 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | $45,300 | 65 |
| Cell Biology | $66,498 | 60 |
| English Language & Literature | $47,757 | 56 |
| Microbiology | $60,221 | 56 |
| Animal Sciences | $46,313 | 49 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $45,975 | 48 |
| Fine Arts | $46,741 | 47 |
| Architectural Technology | $64,133 | 43 |
| Secondary Education | $46,657 | 43 |
| Sociology | $48,273 | 42 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $80,089 | 39 |
| Geological Sciences | $49,241 | 39 |
| Construction Engineering Technology | $89,002 | 38 |
| Political Science | $51,285 | 36 |
| History | $52,187 | 35 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $48,646 | 34 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Not reported | 34 |
| Electrical Engineering | $98,331 | 32 |
| Mathematics | $65,731 | 30 |
| Agricultural Business | $79,621 | 29 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 29 |
| Industrial Engineering | $88,087 | 25 |
| Environmental Engineering | Not reported | 22 |
| Economics | $62,511 | 22 |
| Foods, Nutrition & Wellness | Not reported | 20 |
| Sustainability Studies | $41,979 | 19 |
| Plant Sciences | $45,392 | 16 |
| Romance Languages | Not reported | 16 |
| Hospitality Management | Not reported | 16 |
| Computer Engineering | $99,411 | 14 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 14 |
| Wildlife Management | Not reported | 11 |
| Physics | Not reported | 10 |
| Music | $39,920 | 10 |
| Finance | Not reported | 10 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 9 |
| Biotechnology | Not reported | 8 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 8 |
| Germanic Languages | Not reported | 3 |
| Environmental Design | $57,668 | Not reported |
| Linguistics | $55,352 | Not reported |
Master (39)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary Education | $64,655 | 57 |
| Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition | Not reported | 30 |
| Mathematics | $62,651 | 28 |
| Entrepreneurship | Not reported | 28 |
| Accounting | $92,689 | 27 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | $62,976 | 26 |
| Educational Administration | $70,130 | 25 |
| Architectural Technology | $87,162 | 23 |
| Teacher Education | Not reported | 21 |
| Natural Resources Management | $83,329 | 18 |
| Cognitive Psychology | $51,264 | 16 |
| Plant Sciences | Not reported | 15 |
| Family & Consumer Sciences | Not reported | 14 |
| Physics | Not reported | 14 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Not reported | 13 |
| Sports & Fitness | Not reported | 13 |
| Public Administration | Not reported | 13 |
| Civil Engineering | Not reported | 12 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | Not reported | 11 |
| English Language & Literature | Not reported | 10 |
| Materials Science | Not reported | 10 |
| Economics | Not reported | 10 |
| Electrical Engineering | Not reported | 9 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 8 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Not reported | 8 |
| Health Services Administration & Management | Not reported | 8 |
| Microbiology | Not reported | 7 |
| Industrial Engineering | Not reported | 6 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 6 |
| Fine Arts | Not reported | 6 |
| Registered Nursing | Not reported | 6 |
| Finance | Not reported | 6 |
| History | Not reported | 6 |
| Environmental Engineering | Not reported | 4 |
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Not reported | 4 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 4 |
| Psychology | Not reported | 4 |
| Chemical Engineering | Not reported | 3 |
| Architecture | $71,784 | Not reported |
Doctoral (14)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Resources Conservation | Not reported | 6 |
| Psychology | Not reported | 6 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 5 |
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 5 |
| Chemical Engineering | Not reported | 5 |
| Microbiology | Not reported | 5 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 5 |
| Education | Not reported | 4 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Not reported | 4 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 4 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 4 |
| Plant Sciences | Not reported | 3 |
| Physics | Not reported | 3 |
| Registered Nursing | $126,894 | Not reported |
First Professional (1)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | Not reported | 35 |
Associate (6)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $47,396 | 63 |
| Air Transportation | $74,026 | 23 |
| Design & Applied Arts | $36,357 | 20 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Not reported | 7 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Not reported | 3 |
| Security & Protective Services | Not reported | 3 |
Graduate Certificate (9)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary Education | Not reported | 42 |
| Mental Health Services | Not reported | 7 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 6 |
| Biology | Not reported | 6 |
| Physics | Not reported | 6 |
| Registered Nursing | Not reported | 6 |
| Educational Administration | Not reported | 5 |
| Education | Not reported | 4 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 4 |
Undergraduate Certificate (7)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Machinist | $54,930 | 32 |
| Business Administration & Management | Not reported | 17 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting | $45,679 | 12 |
| Accounting | Not reported | 12 |
| Clinical Laboratory Science | Not reported | 10 |
| Carpentry | Not reported | 9 |
| Heating & Air Conditioning | Not reported | 3 |
Show 22 additional programs with limited data
| Program | Level | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife Management | Master | 2 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Master | 2 |
| Engineering | Master | 2 |
| Electrical Engineering Technology | Associate | 2 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | Doctoral | 2 |
| Biology | Master | 2 |
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Doctoral | 2 |
| Zoology | Master | 2 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Bachelor | 2 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Doctoral | 2 |
| Materials Science | Doctoral | 2 |
| Electrical Equipment Repair | Associate | 2 |
| Health Services Administration | Undergraduate Certificate | 2 |
| History | Doctoral | 2 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | Doctoral | 1 |
| Teacher Education | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Electrical Engineering | Doctoral | 1 |
| Industrial Engineering | Doctoral | 1 |
| Botany | Master | 1 |
| Astronomy | Bachelor | 1 |
| Chemistry | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Heating & Air Conditioning | Associate | 1 |
Rankings Featuring This Institution
- Highest Earning Master's Mathematics Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Natural Resources Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Agriculture Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Architecture Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Liberal Arts Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Engineering Programs in Montana
- Highest Earning Associate's Nursing & Health Programs in Montana
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Nursing & Health Programs in Montana
- Highest Earning Master's Nursing & Health Programs in Montana
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Business Programs in Montana