Programs & majors brief

Arkansas State University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Arkansas State University?

The earnings picture at Arkansas State University is split between a handful of well-paying technical programs and a larger set of fields with more moderate outcomes. Mechanical Engineering leads at $91,665, but has just 19 degrees awarded a year.

Nursing is the high-earning program with real scale: 200 degrees awarded and median earnings of $88,611, right at the national median for the field. Computer and Information Sciences sits in the middle at $79,309, with 20 degrees awarded.

The largest program, Liberal Arts and General Studies, awards 201 degrees and posts median earnings of $43,733. Azimuth ranks it #153 nationally within its field.

The spread from the largest program to the highest-earning one is wide, and a student's path through the university matters a great deal for what they earn four years out.

Major mix · each dot ≈ 1% of completions

Share of reported completions in the bachelor’s programs included here. Each dot represents approximately 1% of those completions. Counts are credentials, not unique students; excluded programs are not zero activity.

  • Health professions314 · 18.2%
  • Business261 · 15.1%
  • Liberal arts201 · 11.7%
  • Education159 · 9.2%
  • Psychology142 · 8.2%
  • Other646 · 37.5%

45 of 45 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Mechanical Engineering 19 degrees awarded
$91,665
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 200 degrees awarded
$88,611
Civil Engineering 12 degrees awarded
$83,270
Computer and Information Sciences, General 20 degrees awarded
$79,309
Finance and Financial Management Services 53 degrees awarded
$68,408
Accounting and Related Services 28 degrees awarded
$67,944

Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.

Compare all matching programs
Reported bachelor’s programs · earnings, program size and field ranks
ProgramDegrees awarded4-yr earningsField rank
Mechanical Engineering small degree count19$91,665—
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing200$88,611#146
Civil Engineering small degree count12$83,270—
Computer and Information Sciences, General20$79,309#168
Finance and Financial Management Services53$68,408#166
Accounting and Related Services28$67,944#234
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions31$63,340#60
Plant Sciences23$61,397#13
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services31$60,039#68
Homeland Security small degree count6$58,242—
Agricultural Business and Management40$58,128#40
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count15$57,419—
Marketing40$56,685#196
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness64$55,833#109
Biology, General68$54,441#269
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication46$54,196#66
Political Science and Government28$49,078—
Social Work26$47,449#186
Business Administration, Management and Operations127$47,023#331
Criminology48$46,293#45
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General23$46,015#71
Sociology33$45,889#218
Psychology, General142$44,872#271
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas52$44,780#143
Communication and Media Studies30$44,327#241
Fine and Studio Arts small degree count7$43,758—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities201$43,733#153
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods102$41,947#206
Mathematics small degree count8$41,340—
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication34$40,961#60
Design and Applied Arts small degree count9$39,897—
English Language and Literature, General small degree count18$38,366—
Animal Sciences small degree count18Too few graduates to report—
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Special Education and Teaching small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Economics small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Management Information Systems and Services small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
History small degree count11Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Arkansas State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
201
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
200
Psychology, General
142
Business Administration, Management and Operations
127
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
102
Biology, General
68
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
64
Finance and Financial Management Services
53
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
52
Criminology
48

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions

How do Arkansas State University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Plant Sciences#13
  2. Agricultural Business and Management#40
  3. Criminology#45
  4. Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Included by program size#109
  5. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Included by program size#146
  6. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Included by program size#153
  7. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Included by program size#206
  8. Biology, General Included by program size#269
  9. Psychology, General Included by program size#271
  10. Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size#331

Programs ranked in the national top 50, supplemented by the largest ranked programs when needed to show ten. Fewer appear when fewer ranks are reported. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

How Azimuth compares programs across colleges

Further analysis

Outcomes at Arkansas State University vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, debt and cohort size rather than reputation. The university publishes earnings data for 32 fields, and 23 carries an Azimuth national rank.

The three largest program families are Health Professions at 18.2% of degrees awarded, Business at 15.2%, and Liberal Arts & General Studies at 11.7%. Nursing is the second-largest program with 200 degrees awarded, and its graduates earn a median of $88,611 four years after completion.

Mechanical Engineering completers earn a median of $91,665 four years after completion, from 19 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks Plant Sciences #13 nationally within its field, and its completers earn a median of $61,397 four years after completion.

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.