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Programs & majors brief

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# Oakland University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## 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 professions**880 · 24.6%**
-   Business**624 · 17.5%**
-   Engineering**398 · 11.1%**
-   Psychology**198 · 5.5%**
-   Biological sciences**182 · 5.1%**
-   Other**1,291 · 36.1%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

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

| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Industrial Engineering | 28 | $102,222 | #31 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 128 | $99,967 | #77 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 173 | $97,444 | #52 |
| Computer Engineering | 49 | $95,843 | #114 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 176 | $90,737 | #90 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 46 | $88,497 | #36 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count | 6 | $87,119 | — |
| Public Health | 25 | $85,266 | #8 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 70 | $84,052 | #80 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 69 | $82,699 | #106 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 520 | $81,667 | #178 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 111 | $79,127 | #104 |
| Economics small degree count | 6 | $71,874 | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 28 | $70,486 | #45 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 183 | $70,347 | #21 |
| Marketing | 76 | $69,448 | #116 |
| Business/Commerce, General | 57 | $68,496 | #42 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count | 16 | $63,925 | — |
| Homeland Security small degree count | 16 | $63,858 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 133 | $63,534 | #28 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 77 | $60,027 | #51 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 28 | $59,922 | #54 |
| Mathematics small degree count | 19 | $57,531 | — |
| Biology, General | 165 | $55,991 | #225 |
| Social Work | 91 | $55,754 | #57 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 110 | $55,662 | #131 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | 246 | $54,767 | #17 |
| Political Science and Government | 40 | $51,129 | #261 |
| History | 36 | $48,990 | #185 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 130 | $48,396 | #140 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 48 | $48,101 | #181 |
| Sociology | 24 | $47,873 | #202 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 61 | $47,432 | #101 |
| Journalism | 23 | $46,680 | #107 |
| Anthropology small degree count | 9 | $46,628 | — |
| Psychology, General | 198 | $45,141 | #263 |
| Fine and Studio Arts small degree count | 14 | $44,270 | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 24 | $43,186 | #56 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 24 | $41,443 | #127 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 17 | $39,442 | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biological/Biosystems Engineering | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 44 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Security Science and Technology small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Administration small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Dance small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 23 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business/Managerial Economics small degree count | 6 | 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 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](#page-sources)

## 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](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## 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](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 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](/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/).