Programs & majors brief

University at Buffalo Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at UB?

The University at Buffalo awards bachelor's degrees across 40 fields with published four-year earnings, and Azimuth ranks 36 of them nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. The highest-earning program, Computer Engineering, shows a median of $109,221 four years after completion, though it awarded only 33 degrees.

Computer Science follows at $105,160 with 269 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #81. Business Administration and Management, the biggest by degrees awarded at 794, reports median earnings of $69,903 and an Azimuth national rank of #99.

Psychology reaches $52,303 with 632 degrees awarded and ranks #98 nationally. The spread between a technical field like Computer Science and a social science like Psychology shows the range of earnings outcomes across the university's largest programs.

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.

  • Business948 · 16.7%
  • Engineering862 · 15.2%
  • Social sciences706 · 12.5%
  • Psychology632 · 11.1%
  • Biological sciences535 · 9.4%
  • Other1,987 · 35.0%

60 of 60 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Engineering 33 degrees awarded
$109,221
Computer Science 269 degrees awarded
$105,160
Chemical Engineering 53 degrees awarded
$95,424
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 110 degrees awarded
$95,209
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 210 degrees awarded
$93,507
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering 107 degrees awarded
$92,360

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 Engineering33$109,221#70
Computer Science269$105,160#81
Chemical Engineering53$95,424#83
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering110$95,209#106
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing210$93,507#93
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering107$92,360#35
Accounting and Related Services98$92,314#52
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count19$89,223—
Industrial Engineering54$86,118#61
Biomedical/Medical Engineering78$84,920#79
Civil Engineering167$84,868#69
Mechanical Engineering232$84,602#190
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering28$75,263#32
Economics132$70,720#132
Business Administration, Management and Operations794$69,903#99
Chemistry44$68,413#64
Geography and Cartography28$68,176#21
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences100$66,880#12
International Business56$64,711#40
Pharmacology and Toxicology small degree count11$64,445—
Communication and Media Studies278$62,912#51
Architecture70$61,525#37
Mathematics121$60,882#123
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences48$59,841#38
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count19$59,216—
Political Science and Government141$58,292#162
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services67$57,360#83
Biology, General349$57,298#153
Social Sciences, General182$56,257#14
Sociology152$54,382#77
Psychology, General632$52,303#98
English Language and Literature, General56$51,385#114
History64$50,518#150
Environmental Design76$49,920#7
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft31$45,677#22
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services21$44,841#49
Anthropology small degree count18$44,274—
Fine and Studio Arts64$43,584#88
Film/Video and Photographic Arts65$43,285#46
Dance20$39,576#26
Natural Resources Conservation and Research50Too few graduates to report—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Area Studies small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management small degree count16Too few graduates to report—
Non-Professional Legal Studies73Too few graduates to report—
Neurobiology and Neurosciences37Too few graduates to report—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count18Too few graduates to report—
Biotechnology small degree count15Too few graduates to report—
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Statistics small degree count18Too few graduates to report—
Applied Mathematics small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy small degree count17Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count15Too few graduates to report—
Criminology41Too few graduates to report—
Urban Studies/Affairs small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Public Health161Too few graduates to report—
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions46Too few graduates to report—
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count6Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at UB?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Business Administration, Management and Operations
794
Psychology, General
632
Biology, General
349
Communication and Media Studies
278
Computer Science
269
Mechanical Engineering
232
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
210
Social Sciences, General
182
Civil Engineering
167
Public Health
161

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

How do UB majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Environmental Design#7
  2. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#12
  3. Social Sciences, General#14
  4. Geography and Cartography#21
  5. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft#22
  6. Dance#26
  7. Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering#32
  8. Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering#35
  9. Architecture#37
  10. Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences#38
  11. International Business#40
  12. Film/Video and Photographic Arts#46
  13. Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services#49

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

Outcomes at University at Buffalo vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. The university has 40 programs with published earnings data, 36 of which carry an Azimuth national rank.

The degree mix is led by Business, which accounts for 16.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Engineering at 15.2% and Social Sciences at 12.4%. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 794 degrees awarded in a year, and Azimuth ranks it #99 nationally and #7 in New York, with earnings of $69,903 four years after completion.

Computer Science is another large program, with 269 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #81 nationally while completers earn $105,160 four years out. The best-ranked program nationally is Environmental Design at #7, with earnings of $49,920.

The highest-earning program overall is the smaller Computer Engineering field, where completers earn $109,221 four years after completion, from 33 degrees a year.

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.