Programs & majors brief
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at UIUC?
81 of 81 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 | 292 | $181,981 | #16 |
| Computer Engineering | 318 | $159,855 | #6 |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 81 | $155,503 | #2 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 100 | $146,946 | #17 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 301 | $119,978 | #15 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 240 | $116,339 | #4 |
| Nuclear Engineering | 23 | $116,047 | #1 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 177 | $111,783 | #20 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 136 | $107,904 | #18 |
| Systems Engineering | 92 | $106,805 | #5 |
| Statistics | 333 | $105,978 | #8 |
| Chemical Engineering | 155 | $104,317 | #26 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 84 | $104,172 | #20 |
| Industrial Engineering | 79 | $103,143 | #16 |
| Engineering Physics | 79 | $102,211 | #1 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 353 | $101,098 | #21 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 80 | $97,926 | #35 |
| Materials Engineering | 87 | $97,924 | #4 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 120 | $97,276 | #26 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 265 | $95,329 | #58 |
| Civil Engineering | 157 | $91,650 | #28 |
| Marketing | 156 | $90,744 | #18 |
| Engineering Mechanics | 28 | $89,617 | — |
| Agricultural Engineering | 118 | $89,400 | #4 |
| Economics | 387 | $86,860 | #68 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 262 | $86,646 | #2 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 200 | $83,451 | #7 |
| Physics | 47 | $81,077 | #33 |
| Mathematics | 182 | $78,891 | #52 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology small degree count | 14 | $71,425 | — |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 303 | $70,213 | #9 |
| Chemistry | 114 | $70,197 | #40 |
| Political Science and Government | 260 | $69,515 | #64 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 119 | $69,195 | #22 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 18 | $68,201 | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 166 | $67,782 | #22 |
| Journalism | 58 | $67,539 | #13 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 31 | $67,396 | #17 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 78 | $67,147 | #8 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 315 | $66,439 | #32 |
| Food Science and Technology | 77 | $66,226 | #13 |
| Public Health | 150 | $65,978 | #31 |
| Education, General small degree count | 11 | $65,864 | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 83 | $65,605 | #24 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 100 | $65,186 | #20 |
| Sustainability Studies | 58 | $63,604 | #4 |
| Plant Sciences | 30 | $63,279 | #11 |
| Geography and Cartography | 20 | $62,504 | #38 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 69 | $61,801 | #32 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 29 | $61,774 | #14 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 91 | $61,313 | #5 |
| Special Education and Teaching small degree count | 19 | $60,685 | — |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | 142 | $60,352 | #4 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 557 | $60,168 | #23 |
| Systems Science and Theory | 57 | $57,510 | #3 |
| Social Work | 76 | $56,917 | #42 |
| Sociology | 83 | $55,393 | #91 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 76 | $55,382 | #78 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 131 | $55,105 | #41 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 94 | $54,570 | #79 |
| Area Studies small degree count | 17 | $54,187 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 57 | $52,409 | #76 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 24 | $50,941 | #41 |
| Music | 56 | $50,544 | #35 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 75 | $50,396 | #41 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 37 | $49,323 | #11 |
| Animal Sciences | 131 | $48,026 | #36 |
| History | 101 | $46,718 | #166 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 24 | $44,004 | #38 |
| Anthropology | 30 | $43,554 | #84 |
| Philosophy | 30 | $34,482 | #66 |
| Agricultural Public Services | 36 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Information Science/Studies | 49 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 24 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Cognitive Science small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 30 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Dance small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at UIUC?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do UIUC majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Engineering Physics#1
- Nuclear Engineering#1
- Agricultural Business and Management#2
- Mathematics and Computer Science#2
- Systems Science and Theory#3
- Agricultural Engineering#4
- Materials Engineering#4
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other#4
- Sustainability Studies#4
- Management Information Systems and Services#4
- Systems Engineering#5
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies#5
- Computer Engineering#6
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication#7
- Architectural Sciences and Technology#8
- Statistics#8
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences#9
- Plant Sciences#11
- Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft#11
- Food Science and Technology#13
- Journalism#13
- Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services#14
- Finance and Financial Management Services#15
- Computer Science#16
- Industrial Engineering#16
- Computer and Information Sciences, General#17
- International/Globalization Studies#17
- Business Administration, Management and Operations#18
- Marketing#18
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering#20
- Design and Applied Arts#20
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods#20
- Accounting and Related Services#21
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#22
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General#22
- Research and Experimental Psychology#23
- Communication Disorders Sciences and Services#24
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering#26
- Chemical Engineering#26
- Civil Engineering#28
- Public Health#31
- Communication and Media Studies#32
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics#32
- Physics#33
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering#35
- Music#35
- Animal Sciences#36
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies#38
- Geography and Cartography#38
- Chemistry#40
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies#41
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#41
- Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#41
- Social Work#42
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
The return on a degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign depends heavily on the field a student chooses. Azimuth ranks 65 programs at the university, evaluating them on the four-year earnings of completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation.
Of the programs with published data, 71 have four-year earnings figures. Award counts are degrees awarded in one academic year.
The degree mix is led by Engineering, which accounts for 19.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 14.0% and Social Sciences at 8.5%. Research and Experimental Psychology is the largest single program, with 557 degrees awarded and a median of $60,168 four years after completion, placing it #23 nationally in its field.
The highest earnings come from Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $181,981 and Azimuth ranks the program #16 nationally. Computer Engineering is another large program, with 318 degrees awarded and median earnings of $159,855, ranked #6 in its field. Across all programs, 43.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.
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.