Programs & majors brief
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at SIU?
66 of 66 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Protection | 36 | $108,135 | #1 |
| Computer Science | 26 | $91,299 | #164 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 64 | $87,442 | #7 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 57 | $86,238 | #196 |
| Computer Engineering small degree count | 19 | $85,056 | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 43 | $83,853 | #183 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians small degree count | 14 | $82,901 | — |
| Civil Engineering | 21 | $81,888 | #140 |
| Air Transportation | 150 | $81,394 | #10 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 52 | $80,220 | #28 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | 89 | $79,299 | #13 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 24 | $78,040 | #156 |
| Soil Sciences small degree count | 12 | $74,026 | — |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 25 | $71,910 | #18 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 67 | $70,478 | #190 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 36 | $69,552 | #199 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 22 | $69,034 | #53 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 26 | $68,609 | #21 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 120 | $67,961 | #7 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services small degree count | 14 | $67,349 | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count | 10 | $66,130 | — |
| Architecture small degree count | 18 | $63,104 | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 59 | $61,807 | #38 |
| Design and Applied Arts small degree count | 5 | $61,493 | — |
| Economics small degree count | 16 | $60,612 | — |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science small degree count | 19 | $60,203 | — |
| Marketing | 28 | $58,934 | #190 |
| Agriculture, General small degree count | 15 | $57,596 | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 35 | $56,680 | #63 |
| Political Science and Government | 25 | $55,544 | #239 |
| Nutrition Sciences small degree count | 17 | $55,329 | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services small degree count | 11 | $55,217 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 48 | $55,039 | #130 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management small degree count | 14 | $53,392 | — |
| Criminology | 75 | $52,916 | #31 |
| History | 22 | $52,900 | #159 |
| Biology, General | 43 | $51,947 | #327 |
| Forestry | 40 | $50,394 | #21 |
| Social Work | 31 | $49,952 | #159 |
| Journalism small degree count | 15 | $49,880 | — |
| Psychology, General | 74 | $48,728 | #248 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 61 | $48,127 | #149 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies small degree count | 11 | $45,623 | — |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services small degree count | 16 | $45,177 | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 28 | $44,902 | #98 |
| Apparel and Textiles small degree count | 10 | $43,823 | — |
| Legal Support Services small degree count | 13 | $43,654 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 44 | $43,236 | #185 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 29 | $43,207 | #16 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 22 | $42,905 | #56 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 32 | $42,113 | #59 |
| Animal Sciences | 27 | $41,932 | #55 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions small degree count | 11 | $41,835 | — |
| Anthropology small degree count | 5 | $41,242 | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 26 | $40,592 | #59 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 9 | $39,926 | — |
| English Language and Literature, General small degree count | 19 | $37,786 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 36 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sociology small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at SIU?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do SIU majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Fire Protection#1
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas#7
- Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#7
- Air Transportation#10
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians#13
- Zoology/Animal Biology#16
- Agricultural Business and Management#18
- Forestry#21
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions#21
- Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions#28
- Criminology#31
- Health and Medical Administrative Services#38
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
Outcomes at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 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. Of the 57 programs with published earnings data, 35 receive a national rank.
The degree mix is led by Education, which accounts for 10.9% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 9.1% and Engineering Technologies at 8.3%. The largest single program is Air Transportation, with 150 degrees awarded in a year and a median of $81,394 four years after completion.
Azimuth ranks it #10 nationally and #1 in Illinois. Subject-Area Teacher Education is the second-largest at 120 degrees awarded, and its completers earn a median of $67,961.
The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Fire Protection completers earn a median of $108,135 four years after completion, from 36 degrees awarded. Subject-Area Teacher Education is also highly ranked, at #7 nationally and #1 in Illinois, with a median of $67,961.
Award counts here are 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.