Programs & majors brief
American University Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at American?
35 of 35 programs shown
Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.
Compare all matching programs
| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 75 | $134,332 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services small degree count | 18 | $119,020 | — |
| Computer Science | 24 | $117,293 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 247 | $88,359 | — |
| Economics | 71 | $85,016 | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 132 | $78,410 | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 110 | $76,552 | — |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians small degree count | 10 | $75,461 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 382 | $73,865 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 192 | $73,604 | — |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | 30 | $72,792 | — |
| Public Health | 76 | $70,831 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 27 | $67,863 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 86 | $66,970 | — |
| Journalism | 59 | $66,635 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods small degree count | 14 | $66,160 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 33 | $63,711 | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 9 | $63,553 | — |
| Psychology, General | 64 | $62,240 | — |
| History | 25 | $59,630 | — |
| Literature small degree count | 17 | $54,436 | — |
| Anthropology small degree count | 12 | $53,036 | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 53 | $52,661 | — |
| Area Studies small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biology, General | 27 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Statistics small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Mathematics small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sociology | 24 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Design and Applied Arts small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at American?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do American majors rank nationally?
National program ranks are not reported for this school.
Further analysis
American University has 23 programs with published earnings data, and the figures below cover completers four years after completion; award counts are degrees conferred in one academic year. The degree mix is concentrated in the social sciences.
Social Sciences accounts for 35.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 17.5% and Communication & Journalism at 11.2%. The largest single program, International Relations and National Security Studies, awards 382 degrees a year and its completers earn a median of $73,865 four years after completion.
The highest earnings belong to a much smaller program. Finance graduates earn a median of $134,332 four years after completion, from 75 degrees awarded annually.
Accounting follows at a median of $119,020 four years after completion, from 18 degrees. Across all fields, 7.7% of degrees are in STEM.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.