Top Ranked Programs
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's program mix is anchored in Biological Sciences, which accounts for 11% of degree output, followed by Engineering at 7% and Arts at 4%. The largest programs by cohort size are Biology, General (587 graduates), Criminal Justice (581 graduates), and Psychology, General (486 graduates). Across 50 programs serving roughly 4,809 students annually, 37 meet Azimuth's [program-ranking threshold](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). The highest-earning programs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley cluster in applied and professional fields. Nursing leads with median 4-year earnings of $88,067 from a cohort of 183 graduates, and Azimuth ranks the program #154 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Interdisciplinary Studies follows with median 4-year earnings of $56,493 from 240 graduates, and Azimuth ranks it #48 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Kinesiology program graduates 310 students with median 4-year earnings of $53,769, and Azimuth ranks the program #80 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Several of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's largest programs — including Biology, General and Kinesiology — are grad-school-dependent pathways where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to medical school or graduate study. Interdisciplinary Studies, with 240 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $56,493, represents a more direct-to-workforce pathway where four-year earnings better reflect labor-market outcomes. The [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these fields align with national wage trends.