Programs & majors brief
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at MIT?
31 of 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 384 | $225,141 | #2 |
| Mathematics | 126 | $174,951 | #2 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 73 | $161,118 | #3 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities small degree count | 11 | $147,998 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 142 | $131,967 | #1 |
| Physics | 67 | $131,025 | #1 |
| Chemical Engineering | 48 | $122,093 | #1 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 59 | $114,620 | #4 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 47 | $111,738 | #6 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architecture small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Materials Engineering | 30 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Civil Engineering small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Nuclear Engineering small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| English Language and Literature, General small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biology, General | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Applied Mathematics small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Cognitive Science | 44 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Economics | 71 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Political Science and Government small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 43 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at MIT?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do MIT majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Chemical Engineering#1
- Mechanical Engineering#1
- Physics#1
- Computer Science#2
- Mathematics#2
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering#3
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering#4
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering#6
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.
Further analysis
Outcomes at Massachusetts Institute of Technology 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. Of the 9 programs with published earnings data, 8 carry a national rank.
The degree mix is concentrated in three families: Engineering accounts for 30.9% of bachelor's degrees awarded, Computer & Information Sciences for 28.4%, and Mathematics & Statistics for 10.1%. 83.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded are in STEM fields.
Computer Science is the largest single program at 384 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally with median earnings of $225,141 four years after completion. Mechanical Engineering, the second-largest at 142 degrees awarded, is ranked #1 with median earnings of $131,967 four years after completion.
Mathematics rounds out the top three at 126 degrees awarded, with median earnings of $174,951 four years after completion.
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.