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Programs & majors brief

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# California State University-Chico Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/california-state-university-chico/)[Cost & aid](/school/california-state-university-chico/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/california-state-university-chico/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/california-state-university-chico/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/california-state-university-chico/similar/)

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at Chico State?

California State University-Chico's highest-earning bachelor's program is Computer Science, where completers earn a median of $127,498 four years after completion, with 81 degrees awarded. Nursing follows at $117,543 and 127 degrees awarded, while Engineering reaches $103,272 on 34 degrees awarded.

Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management reports median earnings of $72,651 and an Azimuth national rank of #76 on 585 degrees awarded. Psychology and Liberal Arts and General Studies show more moderate medians of $52,621 and $55,008, with 346 and 216 degrees awarded respectively.

### 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.

-   Business**585 · 14.2%**
-   Social sciences**404 · 9.8%**
-   Psychology**346 · 8.4%**
-   Health professions**336 · 8.2%**
-   Parks and recreation**297 · 7.2%**
-   Other**2,141 · 52.1%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

56 of 56 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer Science 81 degrees awarded**
$127,498

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 127 degrees awarded**
$117,543

**Engineering, Other 34 degrees awarded**
$103,272

**Computer Engineering 12 degrees awarded**
$97,345

**Mechanical Engineering 72 degrees awarded**
$93,555

**Civil Engineering 88 degrees awarded**
$92,472

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

| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Science | 81 | $127,498 | #63 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 127 | $117,543 | #30 |
| Engineering, Other | 34 | $103,272 | #4 |
| Computer Engineering small degree count | 12 | $97,345 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 72 | $93,555 | #106 |
| Civil Engineering | 88 | $92,472 | #31 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 77 | $91,059 | #97 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 30 | $86,430 | #13 |
| Mathematics | 37 | $77,891 | #73 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology small degree count | 19 | $74,888 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 585 | $72,651 | #76 |
| Biology, General | 87 | $71,726 | #44 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 25 | $69,531 | #23 |
| Geography and Cartography small degree count | 19 | $69,500 | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 31 | $69,303 | #24 |
| Plant Sciences small degree count | 15 | $68,629 | — |
| Economics | 33 | $67,675 | #166 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 77 | $65,198 | #20 |
| Journalism | 44 | $63,358 | #23 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 58 | $62,855 | #32 |
| Agriculture, General | 48 | $61,369 | #6 |
| Political Science and Government | 76 | $61,293 | #152 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 25 | $60,367 | #75 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 101 | $59,765 | #4 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 52 | $59,146 | #20 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 139 | $58,464 | #44 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 114 | $58,391 | #90 |
| Social Work | 66 | $57,146 | #38 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 23 | $56,144 | #75 |
| Natural Sciences small degree count | 6 | $55,102 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 216 | $55,008 | #57 |
| Public Administration small degree count | 12 | $54,714 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 196 | $52,978 | #115 |
| Psychology, General | 346 | $52,621 | #105 |
| Sociology | 162 | $52,323 | #87 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies small degree count | 14 | $52,150 | — |
| Social Sciences, General | 58 | $50,845 | #25 |
| History | 53 | $49,351 | #154 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 75 | $49,189 | #126 |
| Animal Sciences | 67 | $48,474 | #38 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 58 | $45,468 | #65 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 102 | $44,629 | #97 |
| Anthropology | 42 | $43,153 | #80 |
| Music | 61 | $42,269 | #83 |
| Area Studies | 23 | $41,818 | #36 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 90 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 28 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 95 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Health | 120 | Too few graduates to report | — |

[Program data and definitions](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## What are the largest programs at Chico State?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
585

**Psychology, General**
346

**Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities**
216

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
196

**Sociology**
162

**Criminal Justice and Corrections**
139

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
127

**Public Health**
120

**Communication and Media Studies**
114

**Design and Applied Arts**
102

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources)

## How do Chico State majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Engineering, Other**#4**
2.  Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies**#4**
3.  Agriculture, General**#6**
4.  Engineering-Related Fields**#13**
5.  Agricultural Business and Management**#20**
6.  Nutrition Sciences**#20**
7.  Natural Resources Conservation and Research**#23**
8.  Journalism**#23**
9.  Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General**#24**
10.  Social Sciences, General**#25**
11.  Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**#30**
12.  Civil Engineering**#31**
13.  Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**#32**
14.  Area Studies**#36**
15.  Animal Sciences**#38**
16.  Social Work**#38**
17.  Biology, General**#44**
18.  Criminal Justice and Corrections**#44**

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](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## Further analysis

At California State University-Chico, Business, Social Sciences and Psychology are the largest degree families, accounting for 14.2%, 9.8% and 8.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, though earnings vary considerably across programs. The university has 45 programs with published earnings data, of which 38 carries an Azimuth national rank.

The program conferring the most degrees is Business Administration and Management, at 585 degrees awarded a year. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #76 nationally and #16 in California, with graduates earning $72,651 four years after completion.

The best-paid program is Computer Science, at $127,498 four years after completion, followed by Nursing at $117,543.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).