Programs & majors brief
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at RPI?
30 of 30 programs shown
Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.
Compare all matching programs
| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 284 | $141,528 | #30 |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 80 | $125,531 | #1 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 46 | $115,100 | #48 |
| Mathematics | 83 | $105,768 | #18 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 107 | $104,596 | #37 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 70 | $103,306 | #20 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 56 | $99,713 | #28 |
| Chemical Engineering | 63 | $98,679 | #60 |
| Industrial Engineering | 56 | $98,509 | #27 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 112 | $94,750 | #28 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 212 | $92,952 | #82 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 41 | $87,358 | #5 |
| Nuclear Engineering small degree count | 14 | $87,239 | — |
| Civil Engineering | 52 | $86,794 | #97 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count | 17 | $83,958 | — |
| Materials Engineering small degree count | 12 | $82,947 | — |
| Physics | 50 | $81,840 | #22 |
| Architecture | 57 | $75,551 | #5 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biology, General | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Psychology, General small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Economics small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at RPI?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do RPI majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians#1
- Architecture#5
- Design and Applied Arts#5
- Mathematics#18
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering#20
- Physics#22
- Industrial Engineering#27
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering#28
- Business Administration, Management and Operations#28
- Computer Science#30
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering#37
- Computer and Information Sciences, General#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.
Further analysis
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a technical institute, and the degree mix reflects it: 83.1% of bachelor's degrees are in STEM fields. The university has 18 programs with published earnings data, 15 of which carry an Azimuth national rank.
Engineering accounts for 45.9% of degrees awarded, followed by Computer & Information Sciences at 21.4% and Mathematics & Statistics at 5.4%. Computer Science is the largest single program, at 284 degrees awarded.
Azimuth ranks it #30 nationally and #5 in New York, with graduates earning a median of $141,528 four years after completion. Mechanical Engineering awards 212 degrees and its completers earn $92,952, ranking #82 nationally.
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.