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Programs & majors brief

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# Sam Houston State University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## 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](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 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 security**864 · 20.4%**
-   Business**792 · 18.7%**
-   Health professions**480 · 11.3%**
-   Education**296 · 7.0%**
-   Psychology**243 · 5.7%**
-   Other**1,560 · 36.8%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

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

| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 33 | $96,727 | #92 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 69 | $93,904 | #15 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 154 | $91,697 | #140 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 42 | $73,734 | #61 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 123 | $72,388 | #138 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 86 | $72,059 | #169 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 28 | $67,729 | — |
| Business/Managerial Economics small degree count | 17 | $67,464 | — |
| Business/Commerce, General | 263 | $63,837 | #38 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 30 | $62,302 | #39 |
| Mathematics small degree count | 18 | $61,617 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 93 | $61,464 | #251 |
| International Business | 24 | $61,186 | #54 |
| Agriculture, General | 22 | $60,598 | #8 |
| Music | 48 | $58,743 | #10 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 36 | $57,689 | #64 |
| Chemistry | 35 | $57,410 | #133 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 124 | $57,341 | #87 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 29 | $57,019 | #80 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 41 | $56,225 | #68 |
| Geography and Cartography | 23 | $56,151 | #52 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 10 | $55,954 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 40 | $55,894 | #228 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 11 | $55,647 | — |
| Marketing | 84 | $55,522 | #185 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 106 | $55,155 | #51 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 59 | $54,082 | #99 |
| Biology, General | 129 | $53,165 | #275 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count | 12 | $52,901 | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 838 | $51,748 | #83 |
| Public Health | 83 | $50,970 | #89 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services small degree count | 14 | $50,512 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 186 | $50,125 | #175 |
| History | 82 | $50,084 | #153 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General small degree count | 14 | $49,840 | — |
| Animal Sciences | 123 | $49,636 | #28 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 125 | $49,134 | #58 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 52 | $48,761 | #163 |
| Dance | 27 | $48,568 | #8 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations small degree count | 12 | $47,823 | — |
| Psychology, General | 243 | $47,659 | #225 |
| Graphic Communications | 53 | $42,579 | #10 |
| Sociology | 47 | $42,152 | #243 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 33 | $39,565 | #178 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 50 | $36,389 | #95 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions small degree count | 12 | $31,854 | — |
| Plant Sciences small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Agricultural Public Services small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 296 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Homeland Security | 26 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts small degree count | 8 | 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 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](#page-sources)

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

## Further analysis

Outcomes at Sam Houston State University vary by field, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s 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](/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/).