Programs & majors brief

Oakland University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Oakland University?

Oakland University's largest programs span fields with markedly different earnings four years after completion. Nursing, the most awarded field at 520 degrees, shows a median of $81,667 and an Azimuth national rank of #178.

Computer and Information Sciences reaches $90,737 with 176 degrees awarded and a national rank of #90. The highest-earning programs are concentrated in engineering.

Industrial Engineering tops the list at $102,222, though it awarded only 28 degrees. Mechanical Engineering, a larger program with 173 degrees awarded, earns a median of $97,444 and ranks #52 nationally.

By contrast, Psychology, with 198 degrees awarded, reports median earnings of $45,141, illustrating the spread between higher- and moderate-earning 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.

  • Health professions880 · 24.6%
  • Business624 · 17.5%
  • Engineering398 · 11.1%
  • Psychology198 · 5.5%
  • Biological sciences182 · 5.1%
  • Other1,291 · 36.1%

58 of 58 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Industrial Engineering 28 degrees awarded
$102,222
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 128 degrees awarded
$99,967
Mechanical Engineering 173 degrees awarded
$97,444
Computer Engineering 49 degrees awarded
$95,843
Computer and Information Sciences, General 176 degrees awarded
$90,737
Management Information Systems and Services 46 degrees awarded
$88,497

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
Industrial Engineering28$102,222#31
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering128$99,967#77
Mechanical Engineering173$97,444#52
Computer Engineering49$95,843#114
Computer and Information Sciences, General176$90,737#90
Management Information Systems and Services46$88,497#36
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count6$87,119—
Public Health25$85,266#8
Business Administration, Management and Operations70$84,052#80
Accounting and Related Services69$82,699#106
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing520$81,667#178
Finance and Financial Management Services111$79,127#104
Economics small degree count6$71,874—
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions28$70,486#45
Human Resources Management and Services183$70,347#21
Marketing76$69,448#116
Business/Commerce, General57$68,496#42
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count16$63,925—
Homeland Security small degree count16$63,858—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities133$63,534#28
Criminal Justice and Corrections77$60,027#51
Natural Resources Conservation and Research28$59,922#54
Mathematics small degree count19$57,531—
Biology, General165$55,991#225
Social Work91$55,754#57
Communication and Media Studies110$55,662#131
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other246$54,767#17
Political Science and Government40$51,129#261
History36$48,990#185
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods130$48,396#140
English Language and Literature, General48$48,101#181
Sociology24$47,873#202
Design and Applied Arts61$47,432#101
Journalism23$46,680#107
Anthropology small degree count9$46,628—
Psychology, General198$45,141#263
Fine and Studio Arts small degree count14$44,270—
Film/Video and Photographic Arts24$43,186#56
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics24$41,443#127
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count17$39,442—
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication small degree count19Too few graduates to report—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Biological/Biosystems Engineering20Too few graduates to report—
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies26Too few graduates to report—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count17Too few graduates to report—
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness44Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
Security Science and Technology small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Public Administration small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
International Relations and National Security Studies small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Dance small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs23Too few graduates to report—
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General22Too few graduates to report—
Business/Managerial Economics small degree count6Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Oakland University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
520
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other
246
Psychology, General
198
Human Resources Management and Services
183
Computer and Information Sciences, General
176
Mechanical Engineering
173
Biology, General
165
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
133
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
130
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
128

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

How do Oakland University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Public Health#8
  2. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other#17
  3. Human Resources Management and Services#21
  4. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#28
  5. Industrial Engineering#31
  6. Management Information Systems and Services#36
  7. Business/Commerce, General#42
  8. Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions#45
  9. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Included by program size#178
  10. Psychology, General Included by program size#263

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 Oakland University vary sharply by field. Azimuth’s program rankings are built to surface that variation: they evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation.

The university has 40 programs with published earnings data, 32 of which carry an Azimuth national rank. The degree mix is anchored by Health Professions, which accounts for 24.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 17.5% and Engineering at 11.1%.

Nursing is the largest single program, at 520 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #178 nationally and #3 in Michigan, with graduates earning a median of $81,667.

The highest-earning program is Industrial Engineering, where graduates earn $102,222 from 28 degrees awarded a year. Public Health holds the strongest national rank at #8, with a median of $85,266 and 25 degrees awarded. Across all fields, 20.9% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

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.