Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State University logo
#1229 / #353
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#1249
Most Desirable School
Public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#353
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
74%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$10,194
Graduation rate
61%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
6,373

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Southeast Missouri State University Featured Rankings

About Southeast Missouri State University

According to Wikipedia, Southeast Missouri State University is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing the Holland College of Arts and Media. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Southeast Missouri State University's Online Degrees

EdS in Administration
Degree Concentrations
  • School Improvement
  • Management and Operations
  • Instructional Leadership
  • Culture and Change,
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Applied Computer Science
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Required Credits: 42
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BAS in Applied Technology
  • Required Credits: 60
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Child & Family Studies
Degree Concentrations
  • Child Development (
  • Required Credits: 121
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
AA in Child Care and Guidance
  • Required Credits: 73
  • Completion Time: 2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Computer Information Systems
Degree Concentrations
  • Cybersecurity
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • and Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Exceptional Child
Degree Concentrations
  • Mild/Moderate Cross-Categorical
  • Autism
  • and Early Childhood Special Education
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Criminal Justice
Degree Concentrations
  • Law Enforcement
  • Corrections
  • Criminology
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Healthcare Management
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Human Environmental Studies
Degree Concentrations
  • Family Studies
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Educational Leadership
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Elementary Education
Degree Concentrations
  • Reading
  • Math/Science
  • and Early Childhood Education
  • Elementary Math Specialist
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
  • Accounting
  • General Management
  • Health
  • Administration
  • and Sport Management.
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
MBA in Business Administration
Degree Concentrations
  • Accounting
  • General Management
  • Health Administration
  • Sport Management
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Interdisciplinary Studies,
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BA in General Studies
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Management
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Psychology
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Nursing
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
MPA in Public Administration
  • Required Credits: 36
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Secondary Education
Degree Concentrations
  • Educational Studies
  • Educational Technology
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Social Science
Degree Concentrations
  • Anthropology
  • Criminal Justice
  • Economics
  • History (any prefix)
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • or Sociology
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
EdS in Teacher Leadership
Degree Concentrations
  • Operations Specialist
  • Curriculum and Data Specialist
  • Instructional Technology Specialist
  • Human Resource Specialist
  • Instructional Coach,
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Teacher Leadership
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Teaching in STEM
  • Required Credits: 36
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Technology Management
Degree Concentrations
  • Technology Management
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Format: Fully online
MS in Technology Management
Degree Concentrations
  • Cybersecurity
  • Facilities management
  • Industrial education
  • Industrial training and development
  • Manufacturing systems
  • Telecommunications systems
  • Workplace environment and health safety
  • Technical communication
  • Customized,
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Format: Fully online

Southeast Missouri State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian ACT Score
7,46274%76%61%17

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Southeast Missouri State University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$10,194
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$14,527
30K - 48K$14,312
48K - 75K$15,589
75K - 110K$19,212
110K+$22,650

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Southeast Missouri State University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Southeast Missouri State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $48,748 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Southeast Missouri State University's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
10,9959,0151,980

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Southeast Missouri State University?

Southeast Missouri State University is located at One University Plaza, MS2025, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

How Safe is Southeast Missouri State University?

Southeast Missouri State University reported 0.3 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most large partly residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Southeast Missouri State University has a violent crime rate of 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.02%. Cape Girardeau has a violent crime rate of 0.58% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.48%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Southeast Missouri State University Known For?

Southeast Missouri State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Southeast Missouri State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Southeast Missouri State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Political Science
#975
World Rank
#986
Historical Rank
#245
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #245 in the U.S. and #975 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Chemistry
#1834
World Rank
#1857
Historical Rank
#352
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #352 in the U.S. and #1834 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Social Work
#1033
World Rank
#1035
Historical Rank
#416
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #416 in the U.S. and #1033 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Literature
#1606
World Rank
#1620
Historical Rank
#528
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #528 in the U.S. and #1606 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Physics
#2508
World Rank
#2536
Historical Rank
#570
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #570 in the U.S. and #2508 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Mathematics
#2414
World Rank
#2458
Historical Rank
#579
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #579 in the U.S. and #2414 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Communications
#2447
World Rank
#2471
Historical Rank
#651
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #651 in the U.S. and #2447 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Education
#3004
World Rank
#3009
Historical Rank
#700
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #700 in the U.S. and #3004 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
History
#2175
World Rank
#2190
Historical Rank
#728
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #728 in the U.S. and #2175 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Nursing
#1926
World Rank
#1927
Historical Rank
#733
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #733 in the U.S. and #1926 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Anthropology
#2381
World Rank
#2394
Historical Rank
#770
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #770 in the U.S. and #2381 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Business
#3016
World Rank
#3017
Historical Rank
#791
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #791 in the U.S. and #3016 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Economics
#4783
World Rank
#2610
Historical Rank
#824
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #824 in the U.S. and #4783 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Engineering
#4999
World Rank
#5006
Historical Rank
#918
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #918 in the U.S. and #4999 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Computer Science
#4615
World Rank
#4621
Historical Rank
#1054
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1054 in the U.S. and #4615 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Medical
#3622
World Rank
#3624
Historical Rank
#1057
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1057 in the U.S. and #3622 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Sociology
#4071
World Rank
#4074
Historical Rank
#1267
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1267 in the U.S. and #4071 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Biology
#5284
World Rank
#5305
Historical Rank
#1270
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1270 in the U.S. and #5284 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Philosophy
#4257
World Rank
#4291
Historical Rank
#1291
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1291 in the U.S. and #4257 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Psychology
#3416
World Rank
#3431
Historical Rank
#1307
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1307 in the U.S. and #3416 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#3416
World Rank
#3419
Historical Rank
#1747
USA Rank

Southeast Missouri State University ranks #1747 in the U.S. and #3416 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees

Who Are Southeast Missouri State University's Most Influential Alumni?

Southeast Missouri State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Political Science, Social Work, and Literature. Here are some of Southeast Missouri State University's most famous alumni:

Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
An American political commentator .
Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
An American comic book writer and editor.
Linda M. Godwin
Linda M. Godwin
An American astronaut.
Terrence Des Pres
An American historian.
Cedric the Entertainer
Cedric the Entertainer
An American actor and comedian.
David Limbaugh
David Limbaugh
An American lawyer and political commentator.
Christopher T. Robertson
A Legal academic.
Velmer A. Fassel
An American chemist.
Dan Connolly
An American football player.
David L. Ferguson
An American mathematician and educator.
Don Trent Jacobs
A Writer and professor.
Jim Henry
An American singer and educator.