1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/) 4. / 5. Programs & majors brief Programs & majors brief Copy linkPrint brief # Massachusetts Institute of Technology Majors & Programs Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/)[Cost & aid](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/similar/) **On this page**+ ## Which majors earn the most at MIT? The earnings spread across Massachusetts Institute of Technology's largest programs is wide, but every one sits well above the national median for its field. Computer Science, the largest program at 384 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $225,141 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #2 nationally within its field. Mechanical Engineering, with 142 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $131,967, and Azimuth ranks the program #1 in its field. Mathematics posts $174,951 on 126 degrees awarded, at 2.52x the national field median. At the lower end of the range, Physics, with 67 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $131,025 — still 1.71x the national benchmark for the field. The variation is in how far above the norm each field runs, not in any program falling short. ### 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. - Engineering**418 · 30.9%** - Computer science**384 · 28.4%** - Mathematics**137 · 10.1%** - Physical sciences**93 · 6.9%** - Social sciences**79 · 5.8%** - Other**242 · 17.9%** Find a field Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name 31 of 31 programs shown Four-year earnings · first six matching programs **Computer Science 384 degrees awarded** $225,141 **Mathematics 126 degrees awarded** $174,951 **Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 73 degrees awarded** $161,118 **Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 11 degrees awarded** $147,998 **Mechanical Engineering 142 degrees awarded** $131,967 **Physics 67 degrees awarded** $131,025 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 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](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) ## What are the largest programs at MIT? Ten largest programs by degrees awarded **Computer Science** 384 **Mechanical Engineering** 142 **Mathematics** 126 **Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering** 73 **Economics** 71 **Physics** 67 **Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering** 59 **Chemical Engineering** 48 **Biomedical/Medical Engineering** 47 **Cognitive Science** 44 Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources) ## How do MIT majors rank nationally? ### National program rankings 1. Chemical Engineering**#1** 2. Mechanical Engineering**#1** 3. Physics**#1** 4. Computer Science**#2** 5. Mathematics**#2** 6. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**#3** 7. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**#4** 8. 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. [How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) ## Further analysis Outcomes at Massachusetts Institute of Technology vary sharply by field, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s 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](/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/).