Programs & majors brief

Old Dominion University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Old Dominion University?

The earnings spread across programs is wide, and the largest fields do not sit at the top of it. Psychology awards 316 degrees a year and posts a median of $51,907 four years after completion.

Nursing, the second-largest program at 222 degrees, reaches $90,917. The highest-earning programs are in engineering and computing.

Electrical Engineering graduates earn $96,427 from 44 degrees awarded, and Computer and Information Sciences follows at $95,485 with 108 degrees. Several programs carry strong national ranks within their fields.

Azimuth ranks Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians #3 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 141 degrees awarded and median earnings of $81,077. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management holds a national rank of #12 and is the top-ranked program in its field in Virginia.

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 professions684 · 18.2%
  • Business498 · 13.3%
  • Social sciences392 · 10.5%
  • Psychology316 · 8.4%
  • Education261 · 7.0%
  • Other1,597 · 42.6%

49 of 49 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 44 degrees awarded
$96,427
Computer and Information Sciences, General 108 degrees awarded
$95,485
Computer Engineering 19 degrees awarded
$94,542
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 222 degrees awarded
$90,917
Mechanical Engineering 114 degrees awarded
$87,772
Civil Engineering 50 degrees awarded
$82,703

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
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering44$96,427#157
Computer and Information Sciences, General108$95,485#83
Computer Engineering small degree count19$94,542—
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing222$90,917#118
Mechanical Engineering114$87,772#188
Civil Engineering50$82,703#127
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other141$81,077#3
Management Information Systems and Services107$74,465#55
Accounting and Related Services68$73,157#179
Business/Managerial Economics small degree count13$71,406—
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions74$69,732#14
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions21$68,943#48
Finance and Financial Management Services80$67,320#178
Mathematics27$66,847#158
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other125$63,027#11
Marketing83$61,550#162
Business Administration, Management and Operations147$61,442#267
Political Science and Government54$59,939#188
History40$56,715#97
Criminology213$56,659#18
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas160$56,564#32
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count9$56,255—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services53$56,039#105
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other218$55,889#48
Biology, General196$55,304#232
International Relations and National Security Studies21$54,505#63
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies210$54,390#11
Sociology91$53,734#114
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness64$52,482#164
Music small degree count12$52,028—
Psychology, General316$51,907#142
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management56$51,233#12
English Language and Literature, General49$49,024#172
Geography and Cartography small degree count13$48,280—
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions175$47,604#17
Fine and Studio Arts56$46,308#72
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count11$38,537—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management98Too few graduates to report—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods74Too few graduates to report—
Special Education and Teaching27Too few graduates to report—
Engineering, General small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count17Too few graduates to report—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Public Health small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count6Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Old Dominion University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Psychology, General
316
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
222
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
218
Criminology
213
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
210
Biology, General
196
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
175
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
160
Business Administration, Management and Operations
147
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
141

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

How do Old Dominion University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other#3
  2. Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#11
  3. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other#11
  4. Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management#12
  5. Dental Support Services and Allied Professions#14
  6. Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions#17
  7. Criminology#18
  8. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas#32
  9. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#48
  10. Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions#48

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

Graduates of Old Dominion University earn markedly different amounts depending on their field of study. Azimuth's program rankings judge bachelor's programs by four-year earnings among federally aided completers, debt levels, and cohort size rather than reputation.

Azimuth evaluates 37 bachelor's programs at the university using published earnings data, and 31 of them earn a national rank. Degrees cluster in three main fields: Health Professions at 18.2%, Business at 13.3%, and Social Sciences at 10.5%.

Azimuth ranks Criminology #18 nationally in its field, with completers earning $56,659 four years after completion. Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians earns an Azimuth rank of #3 in its field, with median earnings of $81,077.

Psychology, the single largest program at 316 degrees awarded, is ranked #142 by Azimuth in its field and has median earnings of $51,907.

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.