Black Hills State University
Spearfish, South Dakota · Public
Graduate earnings
15of 16 assessed undergraduate programs
have graduates earning more than a typical South Dakota high-school graduate (about $36,976 a year). 1 falls short.
16 of 61 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 45: 42 with no earnings published and 3 with nothing reported. The 12 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$15,911 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$15,911 a year
About $63,644 over 4 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $11,863 |
| $30k to $48k | $13,379 |
| $48k to $75k | $15,588 |
| $75k to $110k | $18,072 |
| $110k and up | $18,604 |
| All families (average) | $15,911 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical South Dakota high-school graduate ($36,976 a year).
20 of 73 programs could be assessed 27% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $59,626 | +$22,650 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 1.2 yrs | 82 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Bachelor's Degree | $44,958 | +$7,982 | clears the bar | $23,594 | 3.0 yrs | 41 |
| Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $40,967 | +$3,991 | clears the bar | $24,764 | 6.2 yrs | 27 |
| Kinesiology and Physical Education | Bachelor's Degree | $55,622 | +$18,646 | clears the bar | $23,000 | 1.2 yrs | 26 |
| Biology | Associate's Degree | $60,349 | +$23,373 | clears the bar | $12,000 | 0.5 yrs | 21 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | Bachelor's Degree | $42,781 | +$5,805 | clears the bar | $27,375 | 4.7 yrs | 21 |
| Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $42,417 | +$5,441 | clears the bar | $27,000 | 5.0 yrs | 20 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Master's Degree | $57,025 | +$20,049 | above HS line | $27,500 | 1.4 yrs | 17 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Associate's Degree | $40,193 | +$3,217 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 16 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Bachelor's Degree | $52,883 | +$15,907 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 14 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | $53,793 | +$16,817 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 12 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | $45,537 | +$8,561 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $49,833 | +$12,857 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Sociology | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $51,562 | +$14,586 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 9 |
| Human Resources | Master's Degree | $73,150 | +$36,174 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 7 |
| Communications and Media | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $45,937 | +$8,961 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Special Education | Bachelor's Degree | $48,332 | +$11,356 | clears the bar | $23,351 | 2.1 yrs | 6 |
| Design | Bachelor's Degree | $29,733 | -$7,243 | falls short | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $51,881 | +$14,905 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Accounting | Bachelor's Degree | $69,079 | +$32,103 | clears the bar | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| English | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 16 |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 14 |
| Liberal Arts and General Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Outdoor Education | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 10 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Political Science | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Business | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 8 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Business Administration | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Genetics | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Sustainability Studies | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Physical Sciences, Other | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Business Administration | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 5 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Film and Photography | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 4 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Special Education | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Human Resources | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 3 |
| Outdoor Education | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Design | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Fine Arts | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Hospitality Management | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| International/Globalization Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Social Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Political Science | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Accounting | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Teacher Education (by level) | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Teaching Assistants/Aides | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Physical Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Music | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Business Administration | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Hospitality Management | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Human Resources | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Human Resources | Graduate/Professional Certificate | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| History | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Construction Trades, General | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | not reported | not reported | nothing reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $36,976 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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