Programs & majors brief

University of Massachusetts-Amherst Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at University of Massachusetts-Amherst?

The University of Massachusetts-Amherst publishes four-year earnings for 45 bachelor's programs, and Azimuth ranks 40 of them nationally. Psychology, the most-awarded degree at 547 degrees, reports a median of $51,274 and an Azimuth national rank of #134.

Economics reaches $80,434 and ranks #89 nationally on 353 degrees awarded. Biology, with 317 degrees awarded, earns $72,726 and holds an Azimuth national rank of #28.

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.

  • Business985 · 14.5%
  • Biological sciences716 · 10.5%
  • Social sciences707 · 10.4%
  • Psychology547 · 8.0%
  • Engineering485 · 7.1%
  • Other3,374 · 49.5%

65 of 65 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Science 391 degrees awarded
$123,519
Computer Engineering 57 degrees awarded
$113,083
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 47 degrees awarded
$101,091
Accounting and Related Services 137 degrees awarded
$100,516
Chemical Engineering 60 degrees awarded
$97,990
Industrial Engineering 30 degrees awarded
$97,791

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
ProgramDegrees awarded4-yr earningsField rank
Computer Science391$123,519#54
Computer Engineering57$113,083#62
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering47$101,091#118
Accounting and Related Services137$100,516#32
Chemical Engineering60$97,990#77
Industrial Engineering30$97,791#44
Mechanical Engineering147$96,999#66
Finance and Financial Management Services289$96,995#38
Architectural Sciences and Technology94$93,156#2
Business Administration, Management and Operations294$92,623#31
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing161$90,309#165
Civil Engineering79$88,076#80
Marketing165$86,299#31
Mathematics256$83,338#35
Economics353$80,434#89
Chemistry29$78,373—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology158$77,853#7
Food Science and Technology20$77,771—
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences175$74,422#5
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities82$73,242#11
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness158$73,238#13
Biology, General317$72,726#28
Physics48$72,596#52
Hospitality Administration/Management100$70,916#6
Non-Professional Legal Studies110$69,269#6
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology66$66,642#19
Public Health272$63,854#32
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services52$63,620#37
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other316$63,383#16
Nutrition Sciences62$63,019#13
Communication and Media Studies305$60,891#61
Political Science and Government180$60,726#134
Animal Sciences21$59,543#6
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians small degree count7$59,298—
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs82$57,461#1
Sociology121$56,960#71
History84$56,597#68
Natural Resources Conservation and Research129$54,215#84
Journalism79$52,011#69
Plant Sciences small degree count12$51,912—
Psychology, General547$51,274#134
English Language and Literature, General87$48,475#151
Fine and Studio Arts30$46,027#83
Agricultural Production Operations43$42,520#9
Anthropology28$31,186—
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Computer and Information Sciences, General56Too few graduates to report—
Education, General50Too few graduates to report—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering65Too few graduates to report—
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics78Too few graduates to report—
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services47Too few graduates to report—
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count8Too few graduates to report—
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Sustainability Studies33Too few graduates to report—
Biological and Physical Sciences small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Philosophy27Too few graduates to report—
Astronomy and Astrophysics small degree count18Too few graduates to report—
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count15Too few graduates to report—
Social Sciences, Other small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Geography and Cartography small degree count12Too few graduates to report—
Music36Too few graduates to report—
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft24Too few graduates to report—
Dance small degree count7Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at University of Massachusetts-Amherst?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Psychology, General
547
Computer Science
391
Economics
353
Biology, General
317
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
316
Communication and Media Studies
305
Business Administration, Management and Operations
294
Finance and Financial Management Services
289
Public Health
272
Mathematics
256

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions

How do University of Massachusetts-Amherst majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs#1
  2. Architectural Sciences and Technology#2
  3. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#5
  4. Animal Sciences#6
  5. Non-Professional Legal Studies#6
  6. Hospitality Administration/Management#6
  7. Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology#7
  8. Agricultural Production Operations#9
  9. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities#11
  10. Nutrition Sciences#13
  11. Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness#13
  12. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#16
  13. Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#19
  14. Biology, General#28
  15. Business Administration, Management and Operations#31
  16. Marketing#31
  17. Public Health#32
  18. Accounting and Related Services#32
  19. Mathematics#35
  20. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services#37
  21. Finance and Financial Management Services#38
  22. Industrial Engineering#44

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

Further analysis

At University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 40 programs carry an Azimuth national rank, drawn from 45 fields with published earnings data. The degree mix is led by Business, which accounts for 14.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Biological Sciences at 10.5% and Social Sciences at 10.4%.

The largest program, Psychology, awards 547 degrees a year and ranks #134 nationally within its field. Computer Science is the best-paid large program, with a median of $123,519 from 391 degrees awarded.

Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs carries the strongest national rank at #1 within its field. Liberal Arts and General Studies earns 1.38x the national median for its field while ranking #11 nationally.

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.