Programs & majors brief

Northern Arizona University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Northern Arizona University?

Program choice matters here: four-year earnings range from technical and health fields at the higher end to a large social-science field at a more moderate level. Computer Science records $99,067 four years after completion across 119 degrees awarded; Azimuth places the field at #119 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Mechanical Engineering posts $91,941 with 123 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national field rank of #122. Nursing combines $84,996 four years after completion with 462 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #143 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At the more moderate end, Psychology has median earnings of $50,448, 387 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth national field rank of #165. The contrast between these fields makes the program-level earnings picture more varied than a single schoolwide figure.

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.

  • Business886 · 14.8%
  • Health professions810 · 13.6%
  • Education579 · 9.7%
  • Biological sciences488 · 8.2%
  • Liberal arts418 · 7.0%
  • Other2,796 · 46.8%

66 of 66 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Science 119 degrees awarded
$99,067
Construction Management 67 degrees awarded
$99,015
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 29 degrees awarded
$95,388
Mechanical Engineering 123 degrees awarded
$91,941
Civil Engineering 52 degrees awarded
$88,184
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 462 degrees awarded
$84,996

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 Science119$99,067#119
Construction Management67$99,015#8
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering29$95,388#149
Mechanical Engineering123$91,941#122
Civil Engineering52$88,184#84
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing462$84,996#143
Accounting and Related Services74$81,144#111
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering30$78,955#29
Finance and Financial Management Services151$77,855#99
Management Information Systems and Services50$76,041#56
Marketing129$69,834#100
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions55$68,917#19
Business Administration, Management and Operations234$66,376#176
Business/Managerial Economics27$63,605#45
Public Health134$61,757#46
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness205$61,250#43
Chemistry54$60,630#103
International Relations and National Security Studies small degree count19$60,448—
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences23$60,402#47
Hospitality Administration/Management147$58,857#27
Political Science and Government58$58,571#192
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology21$58,491#38
Journalism23$57,868#50
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics29$57,004#65
Criminology245$56,676#15
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities418$56,433#36
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication148$55,863#56
Biology, General467$55,446#171
Science Technologies/Technicians, Other64$54,507#5
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count19$54,276—
Mathematics30$54,149#195
Social Work162$54,000#58
Special Education and Teaching115$53,619#24
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas152$53,246#50
Communication and Media Studies74$52,957#154
Public Administration small degree count8$52,834—
Forestry41$52,191#22
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods312$50,738#64
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies56$50,501#18
Psychology, General387$50,448#165
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication95$50,233#35
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General88$49,080#19
Film/Video and Photographic Arts small degree count17$48,800—
Design and Applied Arts112$48,764#88
Natural Resources Conservation and Research94$48,321#122
English Language and Literature, General77$45,915#177
History33$45,795#227
Sociology42$44,082#234
Music27$43,792—
Anthropology35$39,597#117
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count16$38,380—
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis small degree count13$37,350—
Fine and Studio Arts small degree count17$34,073—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Computer and Information Sciences, General36Too few graduates to report—
Computer Engineering small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Physics and Astronomy22Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Criminal Justice and Corrections small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Geography and Cartography small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services94Too few graduates to report—
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General45Too few graduates to report—
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services20Too few graduates to report—
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count7Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Northern Arizona University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Biology, General
467
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
462
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
418
Psychology, General
387
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
312
Criminology
245
Business Administration, Management and Operations
234
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
205
Social Work
162
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
152

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

How do Northern Arizona University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Science Technologies/Technicians, Other#5
  2. Construction Management#8
  3. Criminology#15
  4. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies#18
  5. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General#19
  6. Dental Support Services and Allied Professions#19
  7. Forestry#22
  8. Special Education and Teaching#24
  9. Hospitality Administration/Management#27
  10. Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering#29
  11. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication#35
  12. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#36
  13. Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#38
  14. Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#43
  15. Business/Managerial Economics#45
  16. Public Health#46
  17. Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences#47
  18. Journalism#50
  19. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas#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 Northern Arizona University vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has 53 programs with published earnings data, 45 of which carry an Azimuth national rank.

The degree mix is broad. Business accounts for 14.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 13.6% and Education at 9.7%.

Among the largest programs, Nursing stands out: its graduates earn a median of $84,996 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks it #143 nationally. Science Technologies/Technicians is the university's highest-ranked program at #5, with 64 degrees awarded and median earnings of $54,507.

The best-paid program is Computer Science, where graduates earn $99,067 from 119 degrees a year.

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.