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Programs & majors brief

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# James Madison University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at James Madison University?

The highest-earning programs at James Madison University are concentrated in technical and business fields, and they are not the largest. Information Science/Studies leads at $113,345 from 155 degrees awarded, and [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #5 nationally within its field.

Finance follows at $104,926 with 140 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #32. Among the larger programs, earnings are more moderate.

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions awards 453 degrees and shows median earnings of $67,033; Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally. Psychology is the lowest-earning of the large programs at $56,212 from 272 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #84.

These programs show a wide spread in median earnings four years after completion.

### 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**875 · 18.7%**
-   Business**693 · 14.8%**
-   Social sciences**411 · 8.8%**
-   Communication**399 · 8.5%**
-   Psychology**272 · 5.8%**
-   Other**2,037 · 43.5%**

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

**Information Science/Studies 155 degrees awarded**
$113,345

**Finance and Financial Management Services 140 degrees awarded**
$104,926

**Computer and Information Sciences, General 105 degrees awarded**
$104,806

**Accounting and Related Services 89 degrees awarded**
$98,767

**Engineering, General 67 degrees awarded**
$91,761

**International Business 11 degrees awarded**
$91,141

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Information Science/Studies | 155 | $113,345 | #5 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 140 | $104,926 | #32 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 105 | $104,806 | #59 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 89 | $98,767 | #38 |
| Engineering, General | 67 | $91,761 | #10 |
| International Business small degree count | 11 | $91,141 | — |
| Systems Science and Theory | 55 | $91,034 | #2 |
| Marketing | 189 | $89,944 | #15 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 282 | $87,056 | #147 |
| Economics | 85 | $86,681 | #79 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 129 | $85,137 | #57 |
| Science, Technology and Society | 82 | $82,455 | #3 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 58 | $77,393 | #9 |
| Mathematics | 45 | $75,295 | #82 |
| Chemistry | 44 | $74,631 | #35 |
| Political Science and Government | 117 | $73,326 | #59 |
| Public Administration | 48 | $71,626 | #5 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 82 | $68,798 | #29 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 453 | $67,033 | #2 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 399 | $66,436 | #28 |
| Biotechnology | 35 | $65,893 | #9 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 82 | $65,770 | #21 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 122 | $65,016 | #14 |
| Geography and Cartography | 65 | $63,768 | #22 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 256 | $63,065 | #33 |
| Biology, General | 182 | $62,914 | #108 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 44 | $62,366 | #11 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 80 | $61,496 | — |
| Anthropology | 25 | $60,841 | #16 |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other small degree count | 15 | $59,604 | — |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | 20 | $59,501 | #10 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 243 | $58,026 | #45 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 49 | $57,487 | #66 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 46 | $57,179 | #18 |
| Psychology, General | 272 | $56,212 | #84 |
| History | 61 | $55,782 | #85 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 120 | $54,093 | #13 |
| Social Work | 64 | $52,991 | #95 |
| Music | 79 | $51,882 | #27 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 13 | $51,500 | — |
| Sociology | 37 | $48,774 | #177 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 63 | $45,225 | #18 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Special Education and Teaching small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Applied Mathematics small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business/Managerial Economics small degree count | 13 | 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 James Madison University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions**
453

**Communication and Media Studies**
399

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
282

**Psychology, General**
272

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
256

**Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities**
243

**Marketing**
189

**Biology, General**
182

**Information Science/Studies**
155

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
140

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

## How do James Madison University majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Systems Science and Theory**#2**
2.  Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions**#2**
3.  Science, Technology and Society**#3**
4.  Information Science/Studies**#5**
5.  Public Administration**#5**
6.  Biotechnology**#9**
7.  Health and Medical Administrative Services**#9**
8.  Engineering, General**#10**
9.  Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services**#10**
10.  Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services**#11**
11.  Fine and Studio Arts**#13**
12.  Hospitality Administration/Management**#14**
13.  Marketing**#15**
14.  Anthropology**#16**
15.  Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies**#18**
16.  Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft**#18**
17.  Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**#21**
18.  Geography and Cartography**#22**
19.  Music**#27**
20.  Communication and Media Studies**#28**
21.  International Relations and National Security Studies**#29**
22.  Finance and Financial Management Services**#32**
23.  Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**#33**
24.  Chemistry**#35**
25.  Accounting and Related Services**#38**
26.  Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities**#45**

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

James Madison University has 42 programs with published earnings data, 38 of which carry an Azimuth national rank. The degree mix is led by Health Professions, which accounts for 18.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Business follows at 14.8%, with Social Sciences third at 8.8%. Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions is the largest program at 453 degrees awarded, with a median of $67,033 and an [Azimuth rank](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) of #2 nationally.

Information Science/Studies is a smaller program but posts the strongest return, earning $113,345 and ranking #5 nationally. Finance is ranked #32 nationally, with graduates earning $104,926 from 140 degrees awarded a year.

## 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/).