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Programs & majors brief

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# East Tennessee State University Majors & Programs

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at East Tennessee State University?

Program-level earnings at East Tennessee State University differ substantially across fields four years after completion. At the higher end, Nursing had median earnings of $74,311 from 502 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #253 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences recorded $60,298 across 67 degrees awarded and ranks #13 nationally by Azimuth in its field. More moderate earnings appear in Graphic Communications, with $41,074 from 53 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #11 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions had $65,649 across 29 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #23 nationally in its field. The figures show a clear difference between the higher-earning health fields and the more moderate graphic communications field.

### 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 professions**767 · 30.5%**
-   Business**324 · 12.9%**
-   Psychology**159 · 6.3%**
-   Parks and recreation**121 · 4.8%**
-   Biological sciences**114 · 4.5%**
-   Other**1,030 · 41.0%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

47 of 47 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration 8 degrees awarded**
$106,593

**Computer and Information Sciences, General 91 degrees awarded**
$82,073

**Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General 52 degrees awarded**
$75,298

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 502 degrees awarded**
$74,311

**Dental Support Services and Allied Professions 29 degrees awarded**
$65,649

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 56 degrees awarded**
$62,853

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration small degree count | 8 | $106,593 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 91 | $82,073 | #137 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 52 | $75,298 | #16 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 502 | $74,311 | #253 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 29 | $65,649 | #23 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 56 | $62,853 | #59 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | 67 | $60,298 | #13 |
| Marketing | 72 | $58,583 | #168 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 59 | $58,232 | #199 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 50 | $57,642 | #267 |
| Biology, General | 91 | $57,167 | #210 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 134 | $55,719 | #293 |
| Public Health small degree count | 15 | $52,543 | — |
| Mathematics small degree count | 10 | $49,423 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 23 | $48,452 | #293 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 21 | $48,263 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 121 | $47,821 | #182 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 94 | $44,738 | #163 |
| Special Education and Teaching small degree count | 12 | $44,224 | — |
| History | 42 | $44,142 | #230 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 79 | $43,998 | #202 |
| Social Work | 63 | $43,855 | #191 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 68 | $43,687 | #191 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 33 | $43,051 | #76 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 48 | $43,001 | #228 |
| Psychology, General | 159 | $42,358 | #297 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 73 | $41,570 | #251 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 26 | $41,449 | #113 |
| Graphic Communications | 53 | $41,074 | #11 |
| Human Services, General | 36 | $40,288 | #20 |
| Sociology | 21 | $36,966 | #256 |
| Music | 30 | $35,707 | #140 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 22 | $34,516 | #216 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 13 | $28,062 | — |
| Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 23 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 29 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry | 27 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Anthropology small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 37 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 32 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business/Managerial Economics small degree count | 9 | 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 East Tennessee State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
502

**Psychology, General**
159

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
134

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
121

**Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities**
94

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
91

**Biology, General**
91

**Criminal Justice and Corrections**
79

**Communication and Media Studies**
73

**Marketing**
72

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

## How do East Tennessee State University majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Graphic Communications**#11**
2.  Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other**#13**
3.  Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General**#16**
4.  Human Services, General**#20**
5.  Dental Support Services and Allied Professions**#23**
6.  Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Included by program size**#163**
7.  Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Included by program size**#182**
8.  Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Included by program size**#253**
9.  Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size**#293**
10.  Psychology, General Included by program size**#297**

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

Outcomes at East Tennessee State University vary sharply by field of study. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 28 programs here, evaluating them on the four-year earnings of federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation.

Earnings data are published for 34 programs, and the spread between the largest and the highest-earning fields is wide. The degree mix is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 30.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Business follows at 12.9%, with Psychology at 6.3%. The largest single program is Nursing, at 502 degrees awarded in a year, and Azimuth ranks it #253 nationally within its field.

Graduates earn a median of $74,311 four years after completion. The highest earnings belong to a much smaller program: Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration graduates earn $106,593, from only 8 degrees awarded.

Computer and Information Sciences, with 91 degrees awarded, follows at $82,073. Award counts reflect degrees conferred in one academic year, not the number of students in the earnings sample. Across all fields, 12.3% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

## 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/).