Top Ranked Programs
University of California-Santa Barbara's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, which accounts for 27% of degree output — a concentration that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. Arts represents 5% of graduates and other STEM fields adds another 5%, giving the university a social-sciences-and-interdisciplinary signature rather than an engineering- or business-heavy one. Across 45 programs serving roughly 6,834 students annually, 40 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold — a broad portfolio for a large public research university. Economics is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, making it a central driver of University of California-Santa Barbara's aggregate financial outcomes. Sociology is the largest program with 672 graduates earning median earnings of $60,013 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #9 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Economics program graduates 656 students with median earnings of $98,178, while The Research Psychology program graduates 616 students. On the earnings side, Applied Mathematics leads with median earnings of $109,360 from a cohort of 215 graduates, and Azimuth ranks it #7 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Economics follows at $98,178 with 656 graduates, and Azimuth ranks it #43 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The distinction between high-mobility and grad-school-dependent pathways matters at University of California-Santa Barbara. Programs like Applied Mathematics and Economics tend to channel graduates directly into the workforce, where four-year earnings reflect actual labor-market outcomes. By contrast, several of the university's large social-sciences programs — including Sociology and Communication and Media Studies — often serve as feeders to graduate and professional school, meaning four-year earnings undercount the lifetime trajectory for students who continue their education. The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides additional context for how University of California-Santa Barbara's dominant program families align with national wage trends and employer demand, [as does Azimuth's program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). ```