Programs & majors brief
University of California-Riverside Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at UC Riverside?
50 of 50 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 | 212 | $117,705 | #67 |
| Computer Engineering | 48 | $107,193 | #78 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 65 | $102,630 | #57 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 94 | $93,721 | #97 |
| Chemical Engineering | 63 | $91,457 | #94 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 67 | $90,041 | #62 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 24 | $84,300 | #12 |
| Statistics | 42 | $78,492 | #32 |
| Physics | 42 | $74,410 | #46 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 48 | $72,295 | #7 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 795 | $72,027 | #77 |
| Economics | 331 | $66,682 | #134 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 71 | $65,813 | #14 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 42 | $64,944 | #28 |
| Chemistry | 53 | $64,131 | #78 |
| Mathematics | 185 | $63,596 | #87 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 87 | $62,211 | #30 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 8 | $59,677 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 151 | $59,549 | #55 |
| Public Policy Analysis | 91 | $58,504 | #19 |
| Sustainability Studies | 33 | $58,463 | #6 |
| Biology, General | 639 | $58,339 | #110 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 26 | $57,959 | #26 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 192 | $57,847 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 291 | $56,740 | #151 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 47 | $56,555 | #21 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 92 | $56,108 | #53 |
| Sociology | 340 | $55,682 | #50 |
| Social Sciences, Other | 33 | $55,087 | #8 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 206 | $52,699 | #8 |
| History | 113 | $51,913 | #99 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 136 | $51,865 | #41 |
| Philosophy | 49 | $51,402 | #44 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 125 | $50,712 | #106 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 578 | $49,947 | #31 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 40 | $46,306 | #38 |
| Anthropology | 110 | $45,821 | #45 |
| Dance small degree count | 12 | $45,804 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 67 | $42,692 | #110 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 50 | $40,774 | #136 |
| Area Studies small degree count | 14 | $39,039 | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 49 | $35,583 | #47 |
| Information Science/Studies | 29 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Materials Engineering | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Zoology/Animal Biology small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Administration small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at UC Riverside?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do UC Riverside majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Sustainability Studies#6
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#7
- Social Sciences, Other#8
- Film/Video and Photographic Arts#8
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering#12
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences#14
- Public Policy Analysis#19
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies#21
- International/Globalization Studies#26
- Natural Resources Conservation and Research#28
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#30
- Research and Experimental Psychology#31
- Statistics#32
- Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services#38
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences#41
- Philosophy#44
- Anthropology#45
- Physics#46
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#47
- Sociology#50
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.
Further analysis
A degree's payoff at University of California-Riverside depends heavily on the field a student chooses, and Azimuth's program rankings are designed to make those differences clear. They weigh four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation.
The university has 38 ranked programs and earnings data for 42 fields. The degree mix is led by Social Sciences, which accounts for 20.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 18.1% and Business at 13.5%.
The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 795 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #77 within its field. Computer Science graduates report the highest four-year earnings at $117,705, from 212 degrees a year.
The best nationally ranked program is Sustainability Studies, which Azimuth places #6 in its field and #1 in California, with earnings of $58,463 four years after completion. Microbiological Sciences and Immunology follows at #7 nationally and #5 in the state.
Film/Video and Photographic Arts rounds out the top three at #8 nationally. Across all fields, 37.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM.
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.