Programs & majors brief

Florida State University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at FSU?

The highest-earning programs at Florida State University are concentrated in technical and quantitative fields, and they are not the largest by enrollment. Computer Engineering leads with median earnings of $114,802 four years after completion, from 34 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #58 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Management Information Systems and Services follows at $103,648, with 127 degrees awarded and a national rank of #10.

The largest program, Psychology, awards 818 degrees a year and posts a more moderate median of $54,728, ranked #69 nationally. A handful of smaller programs sit at the top of their fields.

Security Science and Technology is ranked #1 nationally with earnings of $93,841 from 38 degrees awarded. The earnings picture across the university is broad, with the highest payoffs in fields that graduate relatively few students.

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.

  • Business2,243 · 23.5%
  • Social sciences1,456 · 15.3%
  • Psychology818 · 8.6%
  • Biological sciences660 · 6.9%
  • Homeland security594 · 6.2%
  • Other3,773 · 39.5%

75 of 75 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Engineering 34 degrees awarded
$114,802
Management Information Systems and Services 127 degrees awarded
$103,648
Industrial Engineering 33 degrees awarded
$96,504
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods 49 degrees awarded
$94,887
Security Science and Technology 38 degrees awarded
$93,841
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 35 degrees awarded
$93,740

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
Computer Engineering34$114,802#58
Management Information Systems and Services127$103,648#10
Industrial Engineering33$96,504#38
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods49$94,887#32
Security Science and Technology38$93,841#1
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering35$93,740#133
Computer and Information Sciences, General367$93,727#67
Insurance112$92,064#7
Accounting and Related Services182$91,056#50
Chemical Engineering52$90,815#112
Mechanical Engineering94$89,622#162
Finance and Financial Management Services589$87,089#47
Marketing494$84,981#17
Civil Engineering103$84,340#91
Real Estate108$80,900#10
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing69$78,811#280
Statistics57$77,605#33
Business Administration, Management and Operations263$77,320#74
Business/Commerce, General small degree count15$74,716—
Design and Applied Arts46$73,888#11
Economics268$73,527#105
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology47$69,875#30
Mathematics37$68,131#147
Political Science and Government431$68,059#62
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services83$67,180#14
Area Studies small degree count17$67,110—
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology23$66,943#5
Chemistry27$66,724#77
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count12$66,157—
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication92$65,941#28
Apparel and Textiles95$64,807#6
International Relations and National Security Studies298$63,984#32
Hospitality Administration/Management205$62,673#15
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services274$62,663#5
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences166$61,342#14
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness141$60,909#49
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication215$60,876#11
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services32$60,380#11
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations99$58,824#14
Social Sciences, General278$58,460#10
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions70$57,647#66
Special Education and Teaching24$57,573#23
Criminal Justice and Corrections556$57,417#38
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas97$57,287#35
History87$56,834#59
Psychology, General818$54,728#69
Natural Resources Conservation and Research121$54,288#75
English Language and Literature, General320$52,602#57
Geography and Cartography20$52,537#74
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods77$51,863#82
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities65$51,587#109
Biology, General347$51,256#268
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics38$51,157#88
Social Work104$50,723#103
Sociology129$50,612#137
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count14$50,542—
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management small degree count13$48,260—
Philosophy30$47,153#59
Film/Video and Photographic Arts28$46,180#40
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count16$44,502—
Music107$44,454#60
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft55$44,115#24
Anthropology32$42,791#94
Fine and Studio Arts137$41,067#109
Dance small degree count16$40,892—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering40Too few graduates to report—
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Neurobiology and Neurosciences100Too few graduates to report—
Computational Science small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Religion/Religious Studies small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count18Too few graduates to report—
Public Health206Too few graduates to report—
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General106Too few graduates to report—
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions small degree count10Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at FSU?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Psychology, General
818
Finance and Financial Management Services
589
Criminal Justice and Corrections
556
Marketing
494
Political Science and Government
431
Computer and Information Sciences, General
367
Biology, General
347
English Language and Literature, General
320
International Relations and National Security Studies
298
Social Sciences, General
278

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

How do FSU majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Security Science and Technology#1
  2. Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#5
  3. Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology#5
  4. Apparel and Textiles#6
  5. Insurance#7
  6. Social Sciences, General#10
  7. Management Information Systems and Services#10
  8. Real Estate#10
  9. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication#11
  10. Design and Applied Arts#11
  11. Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services#11
  12. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#14
  13. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services#14
  14. Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations#14
  15. Hospitality Administration/Management#15
  16. Marketing#17
  17. Special Education and Teaching#23
  18. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft#24
  19. Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication#28
  20. Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology#30
  21. International Relations and National Security Studies#32
  22. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods#32
  23. Statistics#33
  24. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas#35
  25. Industrial Engineering#38
  26. Criminal Justice and Corrections#38
  27. Film/Video and Photographic Arts#40
  28. Finance and Financial Management Services#47
  29. Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#49
  30. Accounting and Related Services#50

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 Florida State University vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has 58 ranked programs and 65 programs with published earnings data.

The degree mix is led by Business, which accounts for 23.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Social Sciences at 15.3% and Psychology at 8.6%. The largest single program is Psychology, at 818 degrees awarded a year, and Azimuth ranks it #69 nationally within its field.

Finance is the best-paid among the largest programs, with graduates earning a median of $87,089 four years after completion, and it ranks #47 nationally. The highest-ranked program at the university is Security Science and Technology, which Azimuth places #1 in its field, with graduates earning $93,841.

Award counts here are degrees conferred in one academic year, and program earnings cover federally aided completers.

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.