---
title: Missouri Southern State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Joplin, MO
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Missouri Southern State University

Joplin, MO · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $42,620 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $27,146 – $61,890 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $11,650 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,000 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 42% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $19,568 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 62% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.27× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $14,620 | derived |

**42% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $11,650 (≈ 27% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $21,863 to $53,753 across 18 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,753 | $22,750 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,466 | not reported |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,016 | $17,963 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,227 | not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $39,662 | not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,297 | $18,116 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,903 | $21,616 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,697 | $18,686 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,440 | $23,250 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,300 | $19,504 |
| Education, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,122 | $18,500 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,866 | $21,234 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,594 | $20,249 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,462 | $21,604 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,024 | not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,493 | not reported |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,859 | $15,426 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,863 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Missouri Southern State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?178341

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/missouri-southern-state-university-mo.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`