Programs & majors brief

Tufts University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Tufts University?

The largest programs at Tufts University span a wide earnings range. Economics awards 198 degrees a year, and its graduates earn a median of $123,809 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #24 nationally in its field. Computer Science is the highest-earning program, with 171 degrees awarded and median earnings of $156,343.

Azimuth ranks it #22 nationally. Biology, the third-largest at 138 degrees, sits at the lower end of the range at $76,782, though Azimuth still ranks it #15 nationally.

A smaller program, Cognitive Science, posts the second-highest earnings at $130,801 from just 39 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally.

The contrast between the largest programs and the highest-earning ones is worth noting: the fields that pay the most are not always the ones awarding the most degrees.

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.

  • Social sciences468 · 24.8%
  • Engineering210 · 11.1%
  • Interdisciplinary studies191 · 10.1%
  • Biological sciences182 · 9.6%
  • Computer science171 · 9.1%
  • Other667 · 35.3%

47 of 47 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Science 171 degrees awarded
$156,343
Cognitive Science 39 degrees awarded
$130,801
Economics 198 degrees awarded
$123,809
Mechanical Engineering 66 degrees awarded
$101,196
Civil Engineering 17 degrees awarded
$88,924
Research and Experimental Psychology 90 degrees awarded
$79,571

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
ProgramDegrees awarded4-yr earningsField rank
Computer Science171$156,343#22
Cognitive Science39$130,801#4
Economics198$123,809#24
Mechanical Engineering66$101,196#33
Civil Engineering small degree count17$88,924—
Research and Experimental Psychology90$79,571#3
Political Science and Government71$78,180#42
International Relations and National Security Studies133$77,998#13
Natural Resources Conservation and Research46$77,753#4
Biology, General138$76,782#15
Public Health71$75,448#15
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics39$70,767#13
English Language and Literature, General31$69,475#10
Area Studies20$69,037—
History30$65,540#34
Sociology49$61,719#37
Film/Video and Photographic Arts30$59,960—
Fine and Studio Arts55$41,365#128
Architecture small degree count15Too few graduates to report—
Education, General small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering49Too few graduates to report—
Chemical Engineering26Too few graduates to report—
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering21Too few graduates to report—
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count15Too few graduates to report—
Computer Engineering small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Engineering, General small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services50Too few graduates to report—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology32Too few graduates to report—
Biotechnology small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Mathematics38Too few graduates to report—
Applied Mathematics small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Biopsychology66Too few graduates to report—
Human Computer Interaction33Too few graduates to report—
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other26Too few graduates to report—
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
Computational Science small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
Science, Technology and Society small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy28Too few graduates to report—
Chemistry small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count11Too few graduates to report—
Astronomy and Astrophysics small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology38Too few graduates to report—
Anthropology small degree count17Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count17Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Tufts University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Economics
198
Computer Science
171
Biology, General
138
International Relations and National Security Studies
133
Research and Experimental Psychology
90
Political Science and Government
71
Public Health
71
Mechanical Engineering
66
Biopsychology
66
Fine and Studio Arts
55

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions

How do Tufts University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Research and Experimental Psychology#3
  2. Natural Resources Conservation and Research#4
  3. Cognitive Science#4
  4. English Language and Literature, General#10
  5. Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics#13
  6. International Relations and National Security Studies#13
  7. Biology, General#15
  8. Public Health#15
  9. Computer Science#22
  10. Economics#24
  11. Mechanical Engineering#33
  12. History#34
  13. Sociology#37
  14. Political Science and Government#42

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

Further analysis

Azimuth scores each field at Tufts University using four-year earnings among federally aided completers, plus median debt and cohort size, not reputation. A graduate's earnings four years after completion depend heavily on the program they choose.

Across the university, 18 programs publish earnings data, and Azimuth has ranked 15 of them nationally. Social Sciences leads the degree mix at 24.8% of degrees awarded, followed by Engineering at 11.1% and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 10.1%.

Program earnings cover federally aided completers. Azimuth ranks Economics #24 within its field, with four-year earnings of $123,809.

Azimuth ranks Research and Experimental Psychology #3 within its field, with earnings of $79,571. Computer Science, ranked #22 by Azimuth within its field, shows the highest program earnings at $156,343.

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.