Programs & majors brief

Santa Clara University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Santa Clara University?

Program choice separates higher-earning technical fields from more moderate-earning fields at Santa Clara University. Computer Engineering sits at the high end, with median earnings of $163,765 four years after completion and 83 degrees awarded.

Management Information Systems and Services recorded $153,926 with 31 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks Mathematics and Computer Science #1 nationally in its field; median earnings were $147,013 four years after completion, alongside 107 degrees awarded.

Management Information Systems and Services ranks #1 nationally in its field, with $153,926 in median earnings and 31 degrees awarded. The contrast shows that earnings differ substantially by field within the university.

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.

  • Business386 · 24.6%
  • Social sciences209 · 13.3%
  • Engineering188 · 12.0%
  • Communication137 · 8.7%
  • Biological sciences133 · 8.5%
  • Other517 · 32.9%

36 of 36 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Engineering 83 degrees awarded
$163,765
Management Information Systems and Services 31 degrees awarded
$153,926
Mathematics and Computer Science 107 degrees awarded
$147,013
Accounting and Related Services 67 degrees awarded
$130,087
Mechanical Engineering 52 degrees awarded
$122,111
Economics 108 degrees awarded
$121,307

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 Engineering83$163,765#7
Management Information Systems and Services31$153,926#1
Mathematics and Computer Science107$147,013#1
Accounting and Related Services67$130,087#3
Mechanical Engineering52$122,111#5
Economics108$121,307#30
Finance and Financial Management Services160$118,737#12
Biomedical/Medical Engineering21$114,426#12
Civil Engineering20$105,594—
Marketing79$104,723#5
Political Science and Government72$93,518#15
Communication and Media Studies137$84,206#4
Psychology, General122$75,742#5
Human Resources Management and Services38$75,430—
Natural Resources Conservation and Research41$72,889#10
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies24Too few graduates to report—
Computer Software and Media Applications small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics20Too few graduates to report—
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
English Language and Literature, General22Too few graduates to report—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Biology, General81Too few graduates to report—
Neurobiology and Neurosciences39Too few graduates to report—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Mathematics28Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy23Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Sociology23Too few graduates to report—
Anthropology small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count17Too few graduates to report—
Fine and Studio Arts small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Public Health40Too few graduates to report—
Business/Managerial Economics small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
History small degree count16Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Santa Clara University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Finance and Financial Management Services
160
Communication and Media Studies
137
Psychology, General
122
Economics
108
Mathematics and Computer Science
107
Computer Engineering
83
Biology, General
81
Marketing
79
Political Science and Government
72
Accounting and Related Services
67

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

How do Santa Clara University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Mathematics and Computer Science#1
  2. Management Information Systems and Services#1
  3. Accounting and Related Services#3
  4. Communication and Media Studies#4
  5. Mechanical Engineering#5
  6. Psychology, General#5
  7. Marketing#5
  8. Computer Engineering#7
  9. Natural Resources Conservation and Research#10
  10. Biomedical/Medical Engineering#12
  11. Finance and Financial Management Services#12
  12. Political Science and Government#15
  13. Economics#30

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 Santa Clara University vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has 15 programs with published earnings data, and Azimuth ranks 13 of them nationally.

The degree mix is concentrated in business and technology. Business accounts for 24.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Social Sciences at 13.3% and Engineering at 12.0%.

Across all fields, 29.2% of degrees are in STEM. Finance is the largest single program at 160 degrees awarded a year, and its completers earn a median of $118,737 four years after completion.

Mathematics and Computer Science is the highest-ranked program, at #1 nationally and #1 in California, with median earnings of $147,013. Management Information Systems and Services is also ranked #1 nationally and #1 in California, with median earnings of $153,926.

The highest earnings belong to completers of Computer Engineering, at $163,765 four years after completion, from 83 degrees awarded. Award counts reflect degrees conferred in one academic year, and program earnings cover federally aided completers.

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.