Top Ranked Programs
University of California-Davis graduates a comprehensive mix of programs anchored in the biological sciences — the institution's dominant program family — alongside strong engineering and applied-business fields. Psychology General is the largest program with 924 graduates annually, followed by Animal Sciences, Managerial Economics, Biological Sciences General, and Communication and Media Studies. Across 51 ranked programs, several sit in the national top #19 [per Azimuth's program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). Azimuth ranks Managerial Economics #20 nationally among public four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $86,155. Azimuth ranks Biological Sciences General #61 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with graduates earning $83,248, and Communication and Media Studies ranks #17 nationally with graduates earning $72,778. The Psychology General program graduates 924 students annually, earning $57,378 four years after enrollment. Several of these programs are grad-school-dependent pathways — notably Psychology General and Biological Sciences General — where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to graduate or professional school. Managerial Economics and Communication and Media Studies, by contrast, are high-mobility programs where graduates enter the workforce directly and earnings reflect national labor-market outcomes. The [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these fields align with national wage trends.