1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [SUNY at Purchase College](/school/suny-at-purchase-college/) 4. / 5. Programs & majors brief Programs & majors brief Copy linkPrint brief # SUNY at Purchase College Majors & Programs Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/suny-at-purchase-college/)[Cost & aid](/school/suny-at-purchase-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/suny-at-purchase-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/suny-at-purchase-college/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/suny-at-purchase-college/similar/) **On this page**+ ## Which majors earn the most at SUNY at Purchase College? More than half of all bachelor's degrees at SUNY at Purchase College are in Visual & Performing Arts, and the largest programs in that family post some of the lowest medians on campus. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft awards 149 degrees a year and shows median earnings of $39,974 four years after completion. Dance is smaller at 56 degrees, with a median of $30,406. The highest-earning programs are much smaller. Economics graduates earn $63,207 from 15 degrees awarded, and Biology follows at $55,718 across 19 degrees. A student's field matters more than the institution's average here. ### 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. - Visual and performing arts**486 · 51.2%** - Communication**133 · 14.0%** - Psychology**66 · 7.0%** - Social sciences**63 · 6.6%** - English**49 · 5.2%** - Other**152 · 16.0%** Find a field Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name 27 of 27 programs shown Four-year earnings · first six matching programs **Economics 15 degrees awarded** $63,207 **Biology, General 19 degrees awarded** $55,718 **Sociology 22 degrees awarded** $53,042 **Journalism 19 degrees awarded** $52,859 **Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management 43 degrees awarded** $51,954 **Literature 26 degrees awarded** $49,153 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Economics small degree count | 15 | $63,207 | — | | Biology, General small degree count | 19 | $55,718 | — | | Sociology | 22 | $53,042 | — | | Journalism small degree count | 19 | $52,859 | — | | Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 43 | $51,954 | — | | Literature | 26 | $49,153 | — | | Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 33 | $47,922 | — | | Psychology, General | 66 | $47,022 | — | | Communication and Media Studies | 80 | $46,596 | — | | History | 39 | $45,661 | — | | Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 65 | $43,265 | — | | Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 23 | $42,372 | — | | Music | 53 | $41,926 | — | | Anthropology small degree count | 14 | $40,048 | — | | Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 149 | $39,974 | — | | Visual and Performing Arts, General | 29 | $39,791 | — | | Dance | 56 | $30,406 | — | | Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 34 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Non-Professional Legal Studies small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Mathematics small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Philosophy small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Chemistry small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Political Science and Government small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Fine and Studio Arts | 62 | Too few graduates to report | — | | Design and Applied Arts | 29 | 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 SUNY at Purchase College? Ten largest programs by degrees awarded **Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft** 149 **Communication and Media Studies** 80 **Psychology, General** 66 **Film/Video and Photographic Arts** 65 **Fine and Studio Arts** 62 **Dance** 56 **Music** 53 **Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management** 43 **History** 39 **Radio, Television, and Digital Communication** 34 Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources) ## How do SUNY at Purchase College majors rank nationally? National program ranks are not reported for this school. [How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) ## Further analysis The degree mix at SUNY at Purchase College is anchored in the arts: Visual & Performing Arts accounts for 51.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Communication & Journalism at 14.0% and Psychology at 7.0%. 17 programs at the university have published earnings data. The largest single program is Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, with 149 degrees awarded in a year and median earnings of $39,974 four years after completion. Communication and Media Studies is the second largest at 80 degrees awarded, and its completers earn a median of $46,596 four years after completion. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one: Economics completers earn a median of $63,207 four years after completion, from 15 degrees awarded a year. Across all fields, 5.4% of degrees are in STEM. ## 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/).