Programs & majors brief

Sam Houston State University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Sam Houston State University?

Program choice matters here: Construction Engineering Technology/Technician and Nursing sit at the higher-earning end of the featured fields four years after completion. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician has median earnings of $93,904 and 69 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #15 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Nursing reports $91,697 in median earnings with 154 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #140 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions. More moderate earnings appear in Music, at $58,743 with 48 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks it #10 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Psychology records $47,659 and 243 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national field rank of #225 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The contrast between these fields makes the earnings picture depend substantially on the program selected.

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.

  • Homeland security864 · 20.4%
  • Business792 · 18.7%
  • Health professions480 · 11.3%
  • Education296 · 7.0%
  • Psychology243 · 5.7%
  • Other1,560 · 36.8%

59 of 59 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer and Information Sciences, General 33 degrees awarded
$96,727
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician 69 degrees awarded
$93,904
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 154 degrees awarded
$91,697
Management Information Systems and Services 42 degrees awarded
$73,734
Finance and Financial Management Services 123 degrees awarded
$72,388
Accounting and Related Services 86 degrees awarded
$72,059

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
Computer and Information Sciences, General33$96,727#92
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician69$93,904#15
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing154$91,697#140
Management Information Systems and Services42$73,734#61
Finance and Financial Management Services123$72,388#138
Accounting and Related Services86$72,059#169
Agricultural Mechanization28$67,729—
Business/Managerial Economics small degree count17$67,464—
Business/Commerce, General263$63,837#38
Agricultural Business and Management30$62,302#39
Mathematics small degree count18$61,617—
Business Administration, Management and Operations93$61,464#251
International Business24$61,186#54
Agriculture, General22$60,598#8
Music48$58,743#10
Human Resources Management and Services36$57,689#64
Chemistry35$57,410#133
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness124$57,341#87
Design and Applied Arts29$57,019#80
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other41$56,225#68
Geography and Cartography23$56,151#52
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count10$55,954—
Political Science and Government40$55,894#228
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count11$55,647—
Marketing84$55,522#185
Health and Medical Administrative Services106$55,155#51
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities59$54,082#99
Biology, General129$53,165#275
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count12$52,901—
Criminal Justice and Corrections838$51,748#83
Public Health83$50,970#89
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services small degree count14$50,512—
Communication and Media Studies186$50,125#175
History82$50,084#153
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General small degree count14$49,840—
Animal Sciences123$49,636#28
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General125$49,134#58
English Language and Literature, General52$48,761#163
Dance27$48,568#8
Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations small degree count12$47,823—
Psychology, General243$47,659#225
Graphic Communications53$42,579#10
Sociology47$42,152#243
Fine and Studio Arts33$39,565#178
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft50$36,389#95
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions small degree count12$31,854—
Plant Sciences small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Agricultural Public Services small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods296Too few graduates to report—
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians25Too few graduates to report—
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Homeland Security26Too few graduates to report—
Film/Video and Photographic Arts small degree count8Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Sam Houston State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Criminal Justice and Corrections
838
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
296
Business/Commerce, General
263
Psychology, General
243
Communication and Media Studies
186
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
154
Biology, General
129
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General
125
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
124
Animal Sciences
123

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

How do Sam Houston State University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Agriculture, General#8
  2. Dance#8
  3. Graphic Communications#10
  4. Music#10
  5. Construction Engineering Technology/Technician#15
  6. Animal Sciences#28
  7. Business/Commerce, General#38
  8. Agricultural Business and Management#39
  9. Criminal Justice and Corrections Included by program size#83
  10. Psychology, General Included by program size#225

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 Sam Houston State University vary by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has 36 ranked programs and earnings data for 46 fields.

The degree mix is led by Security & Protective Services, which accounts for 20.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 18.7% and Health Professions at 11.3%. The largest single program is Criminal Justice, at 838 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #83 within its field with median earnings of $51,748 four years after completion.

The best-paid program is a much smaller one: Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $96,727, from 33 degrees a year. Dance carries the strongest national rank at #8, with earnings of $48,568 and a benchmark ratio of 1.22x against the national median for the field.

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.