Top Ranked Programs
Boston University's program mix leans heavily toward Social Sciences, which accounts for 16% of degree output, followed by Business at 15% and Engineering at 9%. That social-sciences concentration — anchored by programs in economics, political science, and psychology — gives the institution a program-mix signature closer to research-intensive liberal arts peers than to engineering-heavy universities. Business Administration is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, making it the single biggest contributor to the institution's overall financial outcomes. Across 56 programs serving roughly 4,976 students annually, 36 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The strongest earnings come from quantitative and applied fields. Azimuth ranks Computer Science #72 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 294 graduates earning $136,667. Azimuth ranks Business Administration #14 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $108,412, and Azimuth ranks Economics #75 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $96,723. Among the largest programs by cohort, Business Administration program graduates 678 students and delivers median earnings of $108,412, while The Economics program graduates 305 students with median earnings of $96,723 — [how Azimuth evaluates programs](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) provides the full methodology behind these rankings. Several of Boston University's largest programs are grad-school-dependent pathways — notably Computer Science and Psychology, General — where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to medical, law, or doctoral programs. Computer Science and Business Administration, by contrast, are high-mobility programs where graduates enter the workforce directly and four-year earnings reflect national labor-market outcomes. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) framework provides context for how these fields align with broader wage trends and employer demand. ```