Programs & majors brief
University of California-Berkeley Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at UC Berkeley?
65 of 65 programs shown
Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.
Compare all matching programs
| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 848 | $204,379 | #8 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 528 | $200,543 | #2 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 409 | $144,599 | #3 |
| Operations Research | 71 | $138,883 | — |
| Economics | 799 | $135,050 | #10 |
| Statistics | 123 | $133,986 | #4 |
| Chemical Engineering | 104 | $121,027 | #2 |
| Cognitive Science | 230 | $120,193 | #3 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 189 | $119,371 | #4 |
| Applied Mathematics | 254 | $118,414 | #6 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 94 | $110,597 | #8 |
| Civil Engineering | 106 | $108,548 | #1 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 44 | $103,546 | #1 |
| Social Sciences, Other | 187 | $101,138 | #1 |
| Physics | 99 | $96,043 | #5 |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 48 | $90,943 | #1 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 59 | $87,791 | #7 |
| Chemistry | 126 | $82,386 | #3 |
| Mathematics | 96 | $80,654 | #54 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 103 | $79,391 | #1 |
| Biology, General | 177 | $79,163 | #14 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 430 | $78,624 | #1 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 96 | $76,724 | #2 |
| Architecture | 113 | $76,679 | #1 |
| Public Health | 210 | $76,572 | #7 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | 27 | $76,125 | #3 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 78 | $75,715 | #9 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 258 | $75,612 | #12 |
| Political Science and Government | 464 | $75,128 | #37 |
| Sociology | 283 | $71,363 | #7 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 82 | $70,963 | #1 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | 218 | $70,636 | #2 |
| Area Studies | 54 | $70,366 | #8 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 53 | $69,373 | #3 |
| Social Work | 88 | $67,393 | #4 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 139 | $67,291 | #1 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 767 | $66,577 | #5 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 107 | $66,522 | #10 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 344 | $64,904 | #13 |
| History | 121 | $64,755 | #26 |
| Anthropology | 104 | $64,359 | #6 |
| Philosophy | 87 | $63,326 | #11 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 221 | $60,187 | #20 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 28 | $55,555 | #3 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 94 | $51,699 | #16 |
| Forestry small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental Design small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Landscape Architecture small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 669 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering Science small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering, Other small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering Physics small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Nuclear Engineering small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Classical and Ancient Studies small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Materials Sciences | 30 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music | 33 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Dance small degree count | 5 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at UC Berkeley?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
The largest program records at University of California-Berkeley, by reported degrees awarded, are: Computer Science (848 awards); Economics (799 awards); Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences (767 awards); Computer and Information Sciences, General (669 awards); Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (528 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.
Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Computer Science at $204,379; Economics at $135,050; Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences at $66,577. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.
How do UC Berkeley majors rank nationally?
University of California-Berkeley’s national program ranks compare each field with the same field at other institutions in Azimuth’s ranking data. For example, a Computer Science rank compares programs in Computer Science, while a Biology rank compares programs in Biology.
A lower rank number indicates a higher position within that field; comparing the numbers across different fields does not tell you which major will pay more or suit you better.
These are Azimuth program-value rankings. The source orders programs by its composite program-value measure, so this view answers a different question from the highest-earning majors section.
A field can report lower earnings than another University of California-Berkeley field while holding a stronger position against its own national competitors. Read its national position alongside the earnings and degree counts to understand both the comparison with other schools and the scale of the program at University of California-Berkeley.
National program rankings
- Natural Resources Conservation and Research#1
- Architecture#1
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies#1
- Civil Engineering#1
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#1
- Nutrition Sciences#1
- Astronomy and Astrophysics#1
- Social Sciences, Other#1
- Film/Video and Photographic Arts#1
- Chemical Engineering#2
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering#2
- Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services#2
- Non-Professional Legal Studies#2
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#3
- Cognitive Science#3
- Chemistry#3
- Urban Studies/Affairs#3
- Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft#3
- Business Administration, Management and Operations#3
- Mechanical Engineering#4
- Statistics#4
- Social Work#4
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences#5
- Physics#5
- Applied Mathematics#6
- Anthropology#6
- Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#7
- Sociology#7
- Public Health#7
- Area Studies#8
- Computer Science#8
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering#8
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics#9
- International/Globalization Studies#10
- Economics#10
- Philosophy#11
- Communication and Media Studies#12
- Research and Experimental Psychology#13
- Biology, General#14
- Fine and Studio Arts#16
- English Language and Literature, General#20
- History#26
- Political Science and Government#37
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.
The list includes University of California-Berkeley programs ranked in the national top 50 for their field. If fewer than ten qualify, it adds the largest remaining programs with a reported national rank, using degrees awarded to select them, until the list reaches ten or no ranked programs remain.
These additions broaden the comparison to larger University of California-Berkeley programs; they are not necessarily ranked in the national top 50.
Further analysis
Outcomes at University of California-Berkeley 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 44 ranked programs, with earnings data published for 45 fields.
The degree mix is led by Social Sciences, which accounts for 18.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Computer & Information Sciences at 15.0% and Engineering at 11.4%. Computer Science is the largest single program, at 848 degrees awarded and median earnings of $204,379 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #8 nationally.
Business Administration and Management graduates earn $144,599 four years after completion, which is 2.12x the national median for the field, and the program holds a national rank of #3. Among the university's top-ranked programs, Natural Resources Conservation and Research holds a national rank of #1, with 430 degrees awarded and median earnings of $78,624 four years after completion.
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.
Four-year earnings are measured after completion for the covered federally aided cohort of people working and not enrolled. Measures taken six, eight or ten years after entry use a different starting point and should not be treated as one graduating class followed over time.
Program award counts describe credentials awarded, not current enrollment, unique graduates or earnings-sample size. Reporting periods differ across measures; the shared field definitions do not establish the exact vintage of every school-level value.