Programs & majors brief
Michigan State University Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at Michigan State University?
94 of 94 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 and Information Sciences, General | 290 | $116,905 | #26 |
| Computer Engineering | 56 | $104,627 | #81 |
| Engineering, General | 85 | $102,301 | #6 |
| Chemical Engineering | 102 | $102,223 | #39 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 361 | $102,017 | #30 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 101 | $100,481 | #74 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 277 | $97,946 | #48 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count | 14 | $97,236 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | 164 | $96,093 | #39 |
| Materials Engineering | 28 | $95,761 | #9 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 41 | $95,387 | #17 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 172 | $94,143 | #4 |
| Statistics | 65 | $93,930 | #23 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 425 | $91,187 | #33 |
| Civil Engineering | 82 | $90,650 | #53 |
| Marketing | 185 | $90,453 | #19 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 49 | $86,498 | #12 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 147 | $85,886 | #7 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 183 | $80,129 | #264 |
| Engineering, Other | 42 | $79,609 | #14 |
| Economics | 275 | $79,428 | #95 |
| Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 6 | $75,147 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 87 | $74,709 | #20 |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 33 | $73,880 | #27 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | 110 | $72,414 | #4 |
| Mathematics | 77 | $72,226 | #79 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 60 | $70,940 | #36 |
| Food Science and Technology | 32 | $70,380 | #18 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 154 | $69,651 | #7 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 552 | $69,300 | #17 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 55 | $69,108 | #28 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 29 | $68,913 | #4 |
| Soil Sciences | 22 | $67,666 | #3 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 312 | $67,290 | #21 |
| Political Science and Government | 137 | $67,032 | #87 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 54 | $66,437 | #8 |
| Chemistry | 48 | $65,983 | #85 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count | 9 | $65,667 | — |
| International/Globalization Studies | 56 | $64,372 | #20 |
| Biology, General | 521 | $64,018 | #78 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 83 | $63,419 | #56 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 202 | $62,715 | #24 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 13 | $62,448 | — |
| Sociology | 118 | $62,204 | #39 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 50 | $61,953 | #29 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 137 | $61,309 | #18 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 441 | $60,807 | #62 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 74 | $60,728 | #49 |
| Journalism | 100 | $59,498 | #33 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 31 | $59,315 | #56 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 65 | $58,989 | #13 |
| Social Sciences, General | 96 | $58,797 | #16 |
| Public Policy Analysis | 22 | $58,535 | #22 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 32 | $58,522 | #22 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 255 | $58,046 | #30 |
| Social Work | 54 | $57,321 | #52 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 26 | $56,662 | #20 |
| Geography and Cartography small degree count | 15 | $56,515 | — |
| Psychology, General | 476 | $56,040 | #77 |
| Forestry small degree count | 13 | $55,724 | — |
| Genetics | 78 | $55,404 | #6 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 31 | $55,159 | #16 |
| Animal Sciences | 126 | $54,751 | #13 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 113 | $53,740 | #26 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 98 | $53,250 | #76 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 7 | $53,183 | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 11 | $52,496 | — |
| Education, General | 131 | $52,243 | #8 |
| Music | 56 | $52,132 | #30 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 28 | $51,436 | #146 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 22 | $50,127 | #121 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 21 | $50,098 | #52 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 64 | $49,948 | #3 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | 22 | $49,377 | #20 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 66 | $49,154 | #161 |
| Plant Sciences | 28 | $47,404 | #30 |
| History | 52 | $47,224 | #210 |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | 22 | $46,669 | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 42 | $45,167 | #86 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 31 | $42,820 | #52 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 111 | $41,768 | #18 |
| Anthropology | 27 | $41,512 | #118 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sustainability Studies | 54 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computational Science | 28 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biological and Physical Sciences small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Science, Technology and Society small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics | 53 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at Michigan State University?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do Michigan State University majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Soil Sciences#3
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management#3
- Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy#4
- Engineering-Related Fields#4
- Non-Professional Legal Studies#4
- Engineering, General#6
- Genetics#6
- Hospitality Administration/Management#7
- Human Resources Management and Services#7
- Education, General#8
- Nutrition Sciences#8
- Materials Engineering#9
- Agricultural Engineering#12
- Animal Sciences#13
- Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services#13
- Engineering, Other#14
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology#16
- Social Sciences, General#16
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication#17
- Construction Engineering Technology/Technician#17
- Food Science and Technology#18
- Zoology/Animal Biology#18
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#18
- Marketing#19
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#20
- International/Globalization Studies#20
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management#20
- International Relations and National Security Studies#20
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#21
- Special Education and Teaching#22
- Public Policy Analysis#22
- Statistics#23
- Criminal Justice and Corrections#24
- Computer and Information Sciences, General#26
- Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#26
- Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management#27
- Agricultural Business and Management#28
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#29
- Plant Sciences#30
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences#30
- Music#30
- Finance and Financial Management Services#30
- Journalism#33
- Business Administration, Management and Operations#33
- Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions#36
- Chemical Engineering#39
- Sociology#39
- Accounting and Related Services#39
- Mechanical Engineering#48
- Natural Resources Conservation and Research#49
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 Michigan State University vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings are built to show that. The rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation.
The university has 73 ranked programs and published earnings data for 82 fields of study. The degree mix is broad, with three families accounting for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees awarded.
Business leads at 15.7% of degrees, followed by Biological Sciences at 13.8% and Communication & Journalism at 11.8%. Award counts here are degrees conferred in one academic year, not a count of students.
Among the largest programs, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication awards 552 degrees a year and Azimuth ranks it #17 nationally. Computer and Information Sciences is the highest-earning program, with a median of $116,905 four years after completion and a national rank of #26.
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management, a smaller program at 64 degrees a year, holds the university's strongest national rank at #3.
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.