Programs & majors brief
California State University-Los Angeles Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at Cal State LA?
47 of 47 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 158 | $116,182 | #26 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 52 | $96,014 | #89 |
| Civil Engineering | 73 | $94,760 | #20 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 130 | $93,028 | #63 |
| Computer Science | 149 | $87,525 | #122 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 35 | $86,970 | #12 |
| Mathematics | 40 | $70,677 | #84 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 96 | $69,022 | #162 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 43 | $67,441 | #37 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology small degree count | 17 | $65,366 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 726 | $62,716 | #134 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 138 | $59,904 | #35 |
| Social Work | 227 | $59,545 | #11 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 46 | $57,695 | #12 |
| Public Health | 174 | $56,466 | #53 |
| Political Science and Government | 112 | $56,063 | #159 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 36 | $55,970 | #27 |
| History | 50 | $55,413 | #81 |
| Economics small degree count | 16 | $54,998 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 348 | $54,695 | #53 |
| Biology, General | 123 | $53,908 | #219 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 126 | $53,857 | #76 |
| Philosophy small degree count | 17 | $53,127 | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 61 | $52,797 | #30 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 78 | $52,259 | #100 |
| Chemistry | 24 | $51,747 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 391 | $50,444 | #53 |
| Sociology | 350 | $50,249 | #76 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 242 | $44,930 | #173 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 183 | $40,783 | #94 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 108 | $39,867 | #52 |
| Music | 28 | $39,120 | #115 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 26 | $35,591 | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 35 | $35,097 | #101 |
| Food Science and Technology small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 233 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Journalism small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Graphic Communications small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 28 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Natural Sciences | 68 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Psychology, General | 343 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fire Protection | 32 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Anthropology | 36 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geography and Cartography small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at Cal State LA?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
The largest program records at California State University-Los Angeles, by reported degrees awarded, are: Business Administration, Management and Operations (726 awards); Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (391 awards); Sociology (350 awards); Criminal Justice and Corrections (348 awards); Psychology, General (343 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.
Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Business Administration, Management and Operations at $62,716; Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods at $50,444; Sociology at $50,249. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.
How do Cal State LA majors rank nationally?
California State University-Los Angeles’s national program ranks compare each field with the same field at other institutions in Azimuth’s ranking data. For example, a Computer Science rank compares programs in Computer Science, while a Biology rank compares programs in Biology.
A lower rank number indicates a higher position within that field; comparing the numbers across different fields does not tell you which major will pay more or suit you better.
These are Azimuth program-value rankings. The source orders programs by its composite program-value measure, so this view answers a different question from the highest-earning majors section.
A field can report lower earnings than another California State University-Los Angeles field while holding a stronger position against its own national competitors. Read its national position alongside the earnings and degree counts to understand both the comparison with other schools and the scale of the program at California State University-Los Angeles.
National program rankings
- Social Work#11
- Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#12
- Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions#12
- Civil Engineering#20
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing#26
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies#27
- Nutrition Sciences#30
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#35
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology#37
- Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size#134
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.
The list includes California State University-Los Angeles programs ranked in the national top 50 for their field. If fewer than ten qualify, it adds the largest remaining programs with a reported national rank, using degrees awarded to select them, until the list reaches ten or no ranked programs remain.
These additions broaden the comparison to larger California State University-Los Angeles programs; they are not necessarily ranked in the national top 50.
Further analysis
The return a student sees from California State University-Los Angeles turns on the field they choose. The university has 34 programs with published earnings data, and 29 carry an Azimuth national rank.
The three largest program families are Business, at 13.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, Social Sciences at 9.9%, and Health Professions at 9.6%. Business Administration and Management is the largest single program, awarding 726 degrees a year and earning a median of $62,716 four years after completion.
Azimuth ranks it #134 nationally. Nursing reports four-year earnings of $116,182, and Azimuth ranks the program #26 nationally.
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.
Four-year earnings are measured after completion for the covered federally aided cohort of people working and not enrolled. Measures taken six, eight or ten years after entry use a different starting point and should not be treated as one graduating class followed over time.
Program award counts describe credentials awarded, not current enrollment, unique graduates or earnings-sample size. Reporting periods differ across measures; the shared field definitions do not establish the exact vintage of every school-level value.