Programs & majors brief
Southern Methodist University Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at SMU?
45 of 45 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 290 | $133,852 | #7 |
| Computer Science | 90 | $126,590 | #64 |
| Mathematics | 82 | $111,773 | #14 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 55 | $106,799 | #23 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 75 | $103,675 | #24 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 38 | $93,769 | #2 |
| Economics | 160 | $91,701 | #60 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 47 | $90,649 | #127 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 120 | $89,330 | #1 |
| Marketing | 81 | $88,627 | #25 |
| Biology, General | 89 | $78,466 | #17 |
| Psychology, General | 103 | $72,136 | #15 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 97 | $62,838 | #41 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 8 | $35,844 | — |
| Journalism | 42 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 41 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Education, General small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Operations Research | 45 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Civil Engineering small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| English Language and Literature, General small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 40 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Statistics | 52 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International/Globalization Studies small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Data Science small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 44 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Political Science and Government | 49 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sociology small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Anthropology small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music | 30 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 27 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Dance small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Design and Applied Arts small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | 30 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Real Estate | 51 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| History | 35 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at SMU?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do SMU majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication#1
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics#2
- Finance and Financial Management Services#7
- Mathematics#14
- Psychology, General#15
- Biology, General#17
- Business Administration, Management and Operations#23
- Accounting and Related Services#24
- Marketing#25
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#41
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 Methodist 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 14 programs with published earnings data, 13 of which carry an Azimuth national rank.
The degree mix centers on Business, which accounts for 26.9% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Social Sciences at 11.2% and Communication & Journalism at 9.8%. The largest single program is Finance, with 290 degrees awarded.
Four years after completion, its completers earn a median of $133,852, and Azimuth ranks the program #7 nationally and #1 in Texas. A smaller program, Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, earns a median of $93,769 four years after completion and holds a national rank of #2.
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication is another highly ranked program, with completers earning $89,330 and a national rank of #1 from 120 degrees a year.
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.