Programs & majors brief

San Jose State University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at SJSU?

The supplied San Jose State University program records do not report four-year earnings values. Older earnings fields are present, but they cannot stand in for the missing four-year measure.

Program size can still be compared using the reported award counts. A missing earnings value does not establish that a program has low earnings or poor outcomes.

San Jose State University awards bachelor's degrees across 34 fields with published two-year earnings. The highest-earning program, Nursing, shows a median of $92,277 two years after completion, alongside 167 degrees awarded.

Computer Engineering follows at $78,074 two years after completion with 248 degrees awarded, and Computer Science reaches $74,953 two years after completion on 288 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management, the university's biggest program at 1,710 degrees awarded, reports a median of $48,432 two years after completion.

Psychology awards 582 degrees and shows a median of $33,604 two years after completion, while Communication and Media Studies reaches $41,286 two years after completion on 309 degrees awarded.

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.

  • Business1,776 · 24.2%
  • Engineering853 · 11.6%
  • Psychology582 · 7.9%
  • Communication501 · 6.8%
  • Visual and performing arts499 · 6.8%
  • Other3,141 · 42.7%

62 of 62 programs shown

Compare all matching programs
Reported bachelor’s programs · earnings, program size and field ranks
ProgramDegrees awarded4-yr earningsField rank
Natural Resources Conservation and Research70Too few graduates to report—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
Communication and Media Studies309Too few graduates to report—
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication95Too few graduates to report—
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication70Too few graduates to report—
Journalism27Too few graduates to report—
Computer Science288Too few graduates to report—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods211Too few graduates to report—
Computer Engineering248Too few graduates to report—
Mechanical Engineering166Too few graduates to report—
Civil Engineering101Too few graduates to report—
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering99Too few graduates to report—
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering74Too few graduates to report—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering74Too few graduates to report—
Chemical Engineering41Too few graduates to report—
Industrial Engineering35Too few graduates to report—
Materials Engineering small degree count15Too few graduates to report—
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians58Too few graduates to report—
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General57Too few graduates to report—
Engineering-Related Fields small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count17Too few graduates to report—
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
English Language and Literature, General101Too few graduates to report—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities56Too few graduates to report—
Biology, General182Too few graduates to report—
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Applied Mathematics76Too few graduates to report—
Mathematics small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Nutrition Sciences83Too few graduates to report—
Behavioral Sciences65Too few graduates to report—
International/Globalization Studies small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness248Too few graduates to report—
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies28Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry61Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count19Too few graduates to report—
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Psychology, General582Too few graduates to report—
Criminal Justice and Corrections237Too few graduates to report—
Security Science and Technology29Too few graduates to report—
Social Work79Too few graduates to report—
Sociology217Too few graduates to report—
Economics134Too few graduates to report—
Political Science and Government98Too few graduates to report—
Anthropology29Too few graduates to report—
Geography and Cartography small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Social Sciences, General small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Air Transportation51Too few graduates to report—
Design and Applied Arts229Too few graduates to report—
Fine and Studio Arts197Too few graduates to report—
Music37Too few graduates to report—
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft20Too few graduates to report—
Dance small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Public Health249Too few graduates to report—
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing167Too few graduates to report—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services55Too few graduates to report—
Business Administration, Management and Operations1,710Too few graduates to report—
Hospitality Administration/Management54Too few graduates to report—
Human Resources Management and Services small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
History48Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at SJSU?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Business Administration, Management and Operations
1,710
Psychology, General
582
Communication and Media Studies
309
Computer Science
288
Public Health
249
Computer Engineering
248
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
248
Criminal Justice and Corrections
237
Design and Applied Arts
229
Sociology
217

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

The largest program records at San Jose State University, by reported degrees awarded, are: Business Administration, Management and Operations (1,710 awards); Psychology, General (582 awards); Communication and Media Studies (309 awards); Computer Science (288 awards); Public Health (249 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

The larger program records do not supply four-year earnings values. Their award counts support a comparison of size, but older earnings values should not be relabeled as four-year results.

How do SJSU majors rank nationally?

San Jose State University’s national program ranks compare each field with the same field at other institutions in Azimuth’s ranking data. For example, a Computer Science rank compares programs in Computer Science, while a Biology rank compares programs in Biology.

A lower rank number indicates a higher position within that field; comparing the numbers across different fields does not tell you which major will pay more or suit you better.

These are Azimuth program-value rankings. The source orders programs by its composite program-value measure, so this view answers a different question from the highest-earning majors section.

A field can report lower earnings than another San Jose State University field while holding a stronger position against its own national competitors. Read its national position alongside the earnings and degree counts to understand both the comparison with other schools and the scale of the program at San Jose State University.

National program ranks are not reported for this school.

The current supplied program records do not include national ranks for San Jose State University, so this section has no ranked entries to compare. This is a gap in the supplied ranking coverage, not evidence that the university’s programs are weak.

How Azimuth compares programs across colleges

Further analysis

The value of a degree from San Jose State University depends heavily on the field a student chooses, and the program pages on this site let you compare outcomes directly. Earnings data are published for 34 programs, covering federally aided completers.

The degree mix centers on Business, which accounts for 24.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Engineering is second at 11.6%, and Psychology third at 7.9%.

The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 1,710 degrees a year, and its completers earn a median of $48,432 two years after completion. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one: Nursing graduates earn $92,277 two years after completion, from 167 degrees a year.

Computer Engineering and Computer Science follow at $78,074 and $74,953 two years after completion, respectively.

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.

Four-year earnings are measured after completion for the covered federally aided cohort of people working and not enrolled. Measures taken six, eight or ten years after entry use a different starting point and should not be treated as one graduating class followed over time.

Program award counts describe credentials awarded, not current enrollment, unique graduates or earnings-sample size. Reporting periods differ across measures; the shared field definitions do not establish the exact vintage of every school-level value.