Top Ranked Programs
The University of Alabama's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 29% of degree output — a concentration that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. Engineering represents 11% of graduates and Social Sciences accounts for 10%, rounding out a portfolio tilted toward applied professional fields. Across 67 programs serving roughly 7,333 students annually, 45 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. Finance combines large cohort scale with strong earnings, making it the program that contributes most to the institution's aggregate return. Among the largest programs in the Azimuth coverage set, Digital Marketing program graduates 581 students annually with median earnings of $77,451 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #48 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Finance program graduates 540 students with median earnings of $85,020, while The Nursing program graduates 420 students with median earnings of $85,532. The highest four-year earnings belong to Mechanical Engineering, where graduates earn $95,079 — Azimuth ranks it #51 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Accounting follows at $87,621, and Azimuth ranks Nursing #270 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $85,532. The earnings pattern reflects The University of Alabama's strength in applied business and professional fields that feed directly into the workforce, particularly accounting, finance, and nursing — high-mobility pathways where four-year earnings capture real labor-market outcomes. Programs like Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Mechanical Engineering, with median earnings of $68,227 and $95,079 respectively, represent fields where a meaningful share of graduates continue to graduate or professional school. The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with national hiring demand, and the [program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) explains how Azimuth evaluates programs across cohort scale, earnings, and benchmark performance.