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Programs & majors brief

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# Southern Methodist University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at SMU?

The highest-earning programs at Southern Methodist University are concentrated in business and quantitative fields. Finance leads with median earnings of $133,852 four years after completion, alongside 290 degrees awarded.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #7 nationally within its field. Mathematics and Computer Science follow, at $111,773 and $126,590 respectively.

Mathematics holds an Azimuth national rank of #14 with 82 degrees awarded. Computer Science sits at #64 nationally and awards 90 degrees a year.

Further down the earnings scale, Psychology reports $72,136 from 103 degrees awarded. Azimuth ranks it #15 nationally.

That leaves a wide earnings gap between the top business and quantitative programs and the moderate-earning social sciences.

### 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.

-   Business**557 · 26.9%**
-   Social sciences**232 · 11.2%**
-   Communication**203 · 9.8%**
-   Mathematics**134 · 6.5%**
-   Engineering**132 · 6.4%**
-   Other**814 · 39.3%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

45 of 45 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Finance and Financial Management Services 290 degrees awarded**
$133,852

**Computer Science 90 degrees awarded**
$126,590

**Mathematics 82 degrees awarded**
$111,773

**Business Administration, Management and Operations 55 degrees awarded**
$106,799

**Accounting and Related Services 75 degrees awarded**
$103,675

**Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 38 degrees awarded**
$93,769

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## What are the largest programs at SMU?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
290

**Economics**
160

**Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication**
120

**Psychology, General**
103

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
97

**Computer Science**
90

**Biology, General**
89

**Mathematics**
82

**Marketing**
81

**Accounting and Related Services**
75

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources)

## How do SMU majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication**#1**
2.  Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics**#2**
3.  Finance and Financial Management Services**#7**
4.  Mathematics**#14**
5.  Psychology, General**#15**
6.  Biology, General**#17**
7.  Business Administration, Management and Operations**#23**
8.  Accounting and Related Services**#24**
9.  Marketing**#25**
10.  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.

[How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## Further analysis

Outcomes at Southern Methodist University vary sharply 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, 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](/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/).