Programs & majors brief
University of Pennsylvania Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at Penn?
59 of 59 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 and Information Sciences, General | 172 | $241,380 | #1 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 398 | $202,069 | #1 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 209 | $153,279 | #2 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 106 | $136,806 | #6 |
| Economics | 234 | $129,985 | #16 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 53 | $126,419 | #1 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 43 | $114,492 | #8 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 63 | $114,266 | #1 |
| Marketing | 61 | $112,211 | #2 |
| Chemical Engineering | 28 | $109,884 | #19 |
| Cognitive Science | 75 | $109,784 | #6 |
| Philosophy | 202 | $107,454 | #1 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 206 | $98,475 | #78 |
| Political Science and Government | 120 | $93,033 | #13 |
| History | 64 | $88,517 | #7 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 49 | $87,439 | #7 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 132 | $78,295 | #3 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 61 | $76,395 | #1 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | 21 | $73,190 | — |
| Sociology | 20 | $72,217 | — |
| Biology, General | 158 | $68,435 | #46 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 62 | $61,989 | #27 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 40 | $44,735 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architecture small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Area Studies small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer Science | 109 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Systems Engineering | 36 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Materials Engineering | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer Engineering | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering, Other small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count | 17 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Literature small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 51 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Statistics | 62 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Mathematics | 51 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International/Globalization Studies | 35 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics | 55 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 83 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 27 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Criminology | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Anthropology small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Design and Applied Arts small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business/Commerce, General | 33 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Real Estate | 27 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Accounting and Related Services small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at Penn?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do Penn majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Communication and Media Studies#1
- Computer and Information Sciences, General#1
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering#1
- Philosophy#1
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions#1
- Finance and Financial Management Services#1
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods#2
- Marketing#2
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences#3
- Cognitive Science#6
- Business Administration, Management and Operations#6
- International Relations and National Security Studies#7
- History#7
- Mechanical Engineering#8
- Political Science and Government#13
- Economics#16
- Chemical Engineering#19
- English Language and Literature, General#27
- Biology, General#46
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
Outcomes at University of Pennsylvania vary sharply by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among completers, debt and cohort size rather than reputation. Of the 23 programs with published earnings data, 20 earn a national rank.
The degree mix is concentrated in a few families: Business (24.6% of degrees awarded), Social Sciences (13.7%), and Biological Sciences (9.7%). The largest single program is Finance (398 degrees awarded, ranked #1 nationally, with median earnings of $202,069 four years after completion).
Philosophy is smaller at 202 degrees but also holds a #1 national rank, and its completers earn $107,454 four years out. The highest-earning program is Computer and Information Sciences, where completers earn a median of $241,380 four years after completion, from 172 degrees awarded.
The highest-earning program's median is 2.61x the national median for its field.
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.