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Programs & majors brief

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# Oregon State University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at Oregon State?

The largest program, Computer Science, is also the highest-earning: 843 degrees awarded and median earnings of $121,405 four years after completion. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #46 nationally within its field.

Engineering fields dominate the upper end of the earnings range. Mechanical Engineering graduates earn a median of $93,740 from 315 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks the program #68 nationally.

Construction Engineering, a smaller program at 75 degrees, posts $105,964 and holds the top national rank in its field. At the more moderate-earning end, Psychology awards 275 degrees and shows median earnings of $57,650; Azimuth ranks it #67 nationally.

Human Development and Family Studies is similar in scale at 205 degrees awarded, with earnings of $53,109 and a national rank of #21. The spread between the highest- and moderate-earning programs is wide, and the institution's overall median sits between them.

### 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.

-   Engineering**1,018 · 17.5%**
-   Business**844 · 14.5%**
-   Computer science**843 · 14.5%**
-   Biological sciences**382 · 6.6%**
-   Natural resources**339 · 5.8%**
-   Other**2,397 · 41.2%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

73 of 73 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer Science 843 degrees awarded**
$121,405

**Construction Engineering 75 degrees awarded**
$105,964

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 111 degrees awarded**
$105,359

**Physics 20 degrees awarded**
$103,167

**Industrial Engineering 43 degrees awarded**
$101,653

**Biomedical/Medical Engineering 59 degrees awarded**
$100,182

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer Science | 843 | $121,405 | #46 |
| Construction Engineering | 75 | $105,964 | #1 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 111 | $105,359 | #47 |
| Physics | 20 | $103,167 | #7 |
| Industrial Engineering | 43 | $101,653 | #24 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 59 | $100,182 | #36 |
| Engineering, Other small degree count | 12 | $94,278 | — |
| Nuclear Engineering | 24 | $94,105 | #9 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 315 | $93,740 | #68 |
| Chemical Engineering | 76 | $92,741 | #97 |
| Civil Engineering | 123 | $89,822 | #42 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 52 | $88,149 | #30 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count | 14 | $87,699 | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 88 | $85,369 | #6 |
| Agricultural Engineering small degree count | 19 | $81,691 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 140 | $78,427 | #101 |
| Chemistry | 48 | $78,417 | #20 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 68 | $75,219 | #154 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 452 | $73,660 | #100 |
| Marketing | 116 | $73,205 | #76 |
| Mathematics | 64 | $72,318 | #83 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 49 | $72,311 | #17 |
| Forest Engineering | 42 | $72,107 | — |
| Economics | 64 | $70,436 | #154 |
| Food Science and Technology | 28 | $63,531 | #24 |
| Political Science and Government | 71 | $63,354 | #140 |
| Public Health | 118 | $62,633 | #45 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 35 | $61,096 | #99 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 104 | $60,434 | #40 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | 37 | $59,184 | #14 |
| Plant Sciences | 62 | $57,950 | #14 |
| Psychology, General | 275 | $57,650 | #67 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 194 | $57,451 | #77 |
| Sociology | 91 | $56,865 | #74 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | 21 | $56,800 | #5 |
| History | 57 | $56,790 | #83 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 56 | $56,074 | #80 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 121 | $55,805 | #68 |
| Apparel and Textiles small degree count | 17 | $55,367 | — |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 144 | $55,245 | #10 |
| Agriculture, General | 67 | $53,547 | #14 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 29 | $53,349 | #41 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 205 | $53,109 | #21 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 66 | $52,798 | #27 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 114 | $52,730 | #6 |
| Social Sciences, General small degree count | 9 | $51,005 | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 16 | $50,421 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 30 | $49,910 | #102 |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management | 104 | $48,077 | #2 |
| Biology, General | 184 | $47,221 | #328 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 21 | $46,044 | #27 |
| Animal Sciences | 63 | $45,959 | #45 |
| Anthropology | 46 | $45,184 | #72 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 55 | $44,201 | #12 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 44 | $42,541 | #245 |
| Music | 20 | $41,073 | #117 |
| Education, General | 48 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architectural Engineering small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 87 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biotechnology small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sustainability Studies | 55 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 37 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Policy Analysis small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 27 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Hospitality Administration/Management small degree count | 7 | 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 Oregon State?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Computer Science**
843

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
452

**Mechanical Engineering**
315

**Psychology, General**
275

**Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**
205

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
194

**Biology, General**
184

**Health/Medical Preparatory Programs**
144

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
140

**Civil Engineering**
123

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

## How do Oregon State majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Construction Engineering**#1**
2.  Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management**#2**
3.  Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services**#5**
4.  Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy**#6**
5.  Manufacturing Engineering**#6**
6.  Physics**#7**
7.  Nuclear Engineering**#9**
8.  Health/Medical Preparatory Programs**#10**
9.  Zoology/Animal Biology**#12**
10.  Agriculture, General**#14**
11.  Plant Sciences**#14**
12.  Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services**#14**
13.  Agricultural Business and Management**#17**
14.  Chemistry**#20**
15.  Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**#21**
16.  Food Science and Technology**#24**
17.  Industrial Engineering**#24**
18.  Radio, Television, and Digital Communication**#27**
19.  Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies**#27**
20.  Management Information Systems and Services**#30**
21.  Biomedical/Medical Engineering**#36**
22.  Design and Applied Arts**#40**
23.  Microbiological Sciences and Immunology**#41**
24.  Civil Engineering**#42**
25.  Animal Sciences**#45**
26.  Public Health**#45**
27.  Computer Science**#46**
28.  Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**#47**

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 vary sharply by field of study at Oregon State University, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university publishes earnings data for 56 bachelor's programs, 49 of which carry a national rank.

The three largest program families are Engineering at 17.5% of degrees awarded, Business at 14.5%, and Computer & Information Sciences at 14.5%. Computer Science is the largest single program, with 843 degrees awarded and median earnings of $121,405.

Azimuth ranks it #46 nationally and #1 in Oregon. Construction Engineering holds the strongest national rank at #1, with 75 degrees awarded and median earnings of $105,964.

Physics is another strong performer, earning $103,167 and ranked #7 nationally. The range of outcomes across these programs underscores how much the choice of major matters.

## 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/).