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Programs & majors brief

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# University of California-Riverside Majors & Programs

Updated September 28, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-california-riverside/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-california-riverside/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/university-of-california-riverside/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-california-riverside/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/university-of-california-riverside/similar/)

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at UC Riverside?

University of California-Riverside fields 38 ranked bachelor's programs, and the highest-earning fields cluster in engineering and computing. Computer Science tops the list at $117,705 four years after completion, with 212 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #67 in its field.

Computer Engineering follows at $107,193 (48 degrees awarded), and Electrical Engineering reaches $102,630 with 65 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs by degrees, earnings spread across a wide range.

Business Administration and Management awarded 795 degrees and shows a median of $72,027, ranking #77 nationally. Biology, with 639 degrees awarded, reports $58,339 and an [Azimuth rank](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) of #110.

Research and Experimental Psychology sits at $49,947 (578 degrees awarded, rank #31), while Economics reaches $66,682 on 331 degrees awarded.

### 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 sciences**1,197 · 20.4%**
-   Biological sciences**1,060 · 18.0%**
-   Business**795 · 13.5%**
-   Psychology**578 · 9.8%**
-   Engineering**386 · 6.6%**
-   Other**1,858 · 31.6%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

50 of 50 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer Science 212 degrees awarded**
$117,705

**Computer Engineering 48 degrees awarded**
$107,193

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 65 degrees awarded**
$102,630

**Mechanical Engineering 94 degrees awarded**
$93,721

**Chemical Engineering 63 degrees awarded**
$91,457

**Biomedical/Medical Engineering 67 degrees awarded**
$90,041

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

| 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 | Not reported | — |
| Materials Engineering | 25 | Not reported | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 8 | Not reported | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology small degree count | 8 | Not reported | — |
| Zoology/Animal Biology small degree count | 7 | Not reported | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies small degree count | 7 | Not reported | — |
| Public Administration small degree count | 15 | Not reported | — |
| Music small degree count | 14 | Not reported | — |

[Program data and definitions](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## What are the largest programs at UC Riverside?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
795

**Biology, General**
639

**Research and Experimental Psychology**
578

**Sociology**
340

**Economics**
331

**Political Science and Government**
291

**Computer Science**
212

**Film/Video and Photographic Arts**
206

**Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education**
192

**Mathematics**
185

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. [Program data and definitions](#page-sources)

## How do UC Riverside majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Sustainability Studies**#6**
2.  Microbiological Sciences and Immunology**#7**
3.  Social Sciences, Other**#8**
4.  Film/Video and Photographic Arts**#8**
5.  Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering**#12**
6.  Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences**#14**
7.  Public Policy Analysis**#19**
8.  Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies**#21**
9.  International/Globalization Studies**#26**
10.  Natural Resources Conservation and Research**#28**
11.  Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities**#30**
12.  Research and Experimental Psychology**#31**
13.  Statistics**#32**
14.  Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services**#38**
15.  Neurobiology and Neurosciences**#41**
16.  Philosophy**#44**
17.  Anthropology**#45**
18.  Physics**#46**
19.  Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies**#47**
20.  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.

[How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## Further analysis

A degree's payoff at University of California-Riverside depends heavily on the field a student chooses, and [Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s 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. Award counts are degrees conferred in one academic year, not a count of students.

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

A missing figure does not mean zero. Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).