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Programs & majors brief

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# Northern Illinois University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at NIU?

Northern Illinois University's largest programs show a wide spread in earnings four years after completion. Computer Science, with 132 degrees awarded, leads the group at a median of $93,438 and an Azimuth national rank of #120.

Business Administration and Management follows at $73,176 on 149 degrees awarded, ranking #129 nationally. On the moderate-earning side, Psychology, the largest program with 193 degrees awarded, has a median of $49,669 and ranks #201 nationally.

Teacher Education reaches $50,385 on 127 degrees awarded, ranking #102. This spread illustrates the range of earnings across fields at the university.

### 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.

-   Business**557 · 19.6%**
-   Health professions**456 · 16.1%**
-   Education**204 · 7.2%**
-   Psychology**193 · 6.8%**
-   Engineering**178 · 6.3%**
-   Other**1,251 · 44.1%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

49 of 49 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 35 degrees awarded**
$93,962

**Computer Science 132 degrees awarded**
$93,438

**Mechanical Engineering 115 degrees awarded**
$86,999

**Finance and Financial Management Services 48 degrees awarded**
$86,511

**Accounting and Related Services 122 degrees awarded**
$83,573

**Industrial Engineering 21 degrees awarded**
$82,584

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 35 | $93,962 | #165 |
| Computer Science | 132 | $93,438 | #120 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 115 | $86,999 | #187 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 48 | $86,511 | #77 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 122 | $83,573 | #71 |
| Industrial Engineering | 21 | $82,584 | #71 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 58 | $81,554 | #5 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count | 19 | $76,856 | — |
| Marketing | 125 | $76,373 | #58 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 149 | $73,176 | #129 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 94 | $71,040 | #50 |
| Mathematics | 29 | $69,856 | #136 |
| Apparel and Textiles small degree count | 10 | $68,636 | — |
| Economics | 28 | $66,760 | #185 |
| Chemistry | 30 | $65,611 | #83 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management small degree count | 19 | $58,546 | — |
| Sociology | 44 | $58,023 | #89 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 75 | $57,697 | #71 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 153 | $55,778 | #9 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 45 | $55,586 | #10 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 26 | $55,221 | #27 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 114 | $55,109 | #142 |
| Anthropology small degree count | 8 | $54,890 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 35 | $54,666 | #94 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 106 | $54,207 | #131 |
| Political Science and Government | 67 | $54,039 | #236 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 37 | $53,672 | #74 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 40 | $53,148 | #29 |
| Biology, General | 80 | $52,086 | #301 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 19 | $51,151 | — |
| Journalism small degree count | 19 | $50,658 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 127 | $50,385 | #102 |
| Psychology, General | 193 | $49,669 | #201 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 47 | $49,653 | #134 |
| Human Services, General small degree count | 11 | $49,514 | — |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology small degree count | 7 | $49,198 | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 72 | $49,147 | #56 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 43 | $47,981 | #180 |
| Geography and Cartography small degree count | 13 | $47,738 | — |
| History | 46 | $46,086 | #211 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 88 | $44,202 | #76 |
| Music | 37 | $40,398 | #113 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 34 | $36,777 | #102 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Statistics small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 166 | 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 NIU?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Psychology, General**
193

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
166

**Health/Medical Preparatory Programs**
153

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
149

**Computer Science**
132

**Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods**
127

**Marketing**
125

**Accounting and Related Services**
122

**Mechanical Engineering**
115

**Communication and Media Studies**
114

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

## How do NIU majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General**#5**
2.  Health/Medical Preparatory Programs**#9**
3.  Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions**#10**
4.  Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services**#27**
5.  Special Education and Teaching**#29**
6.  Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods**#50**
7.  Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Included by program size**#102**
8.  Computer Science Included by program size**#120**
9.  Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size**#129**
10.  Psychology, General Included by program size**#201**

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

What a graduate earns depends heavily on the field they choose, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s measure four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. Northern Illinois University has 34 ranked programs and earnings data for 43 fields.

The degree mix is led by Business, which accounts for 19.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 16.1% and Education at 7.2%. The largest single program is Psychology, at 193 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #201 within its field.

Health/Medical Preparatory Programs is both the second-largest program with published earnings and the highest-ranked among the largest five, sitting at #9 nationally and #1 in Illinois. The best-paid programs are in engineering and computing: Electrical Engineering graduates earn $93,962 four years after completion, and Computer Science graduates earn $93,438.

Engineering Technologies/Technicians carries the strongest national rank at #5, with earnings of $81,554 from 58 degrees 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/).