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Programs & majors brief

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# University of Rhode Island Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at University of Rhode Island?

At University of Rhode Island, prominent programs range from higher-earning engineering and health fields to a more moderate-earning social science option. Chemical Engineering reports median earnings of $103,525 four years after completion and 28 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #54 nationally in its field.

Biomedical Engineering posts $96,532 in median earnings, with 30 degrees awarded and an Azimuth national rank of #55 in its field. Nursing pairs median earnings of $96,020 four years after completion with 290 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #79 nationally in its field.

Psychology sits at the more moderate end, reporting $56,571 in median earnings, 224 degrees awarded, and an Azimuth national rank of #78 in its field. The figures show a clear earnings contrast across these prominent fields.

### 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.

-   Health professions**522 · 14.9%**
-   Business**481 · 13.7%**
-   Engineering**300 · 8.5%**
-   Social sciences**292 · 8.3%**
-   Communication**291 · 8.3%**
-   Other**1,628 · 46.3%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

63 of 63 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 27 degrees awarded**
$106,153

**Chemical Engineering 28 degrees awarded**
$103,525

**Computer Engineering 22 degrees awarded**
$100,975

**Biomedical/Medical Engineering 30 degrees awarded**
$96,532

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 290 degrees awarded**
$96,020

**Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 5 degrees awarded**
$90,953

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 27 | $106,153 | #67 |
| Chemical Engineering | 28 | $103,525 | #54 |
| Computer Engineering | 22 | $100,975 | #110 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 30 | $96,532 | #55 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 290 | $96,020 | #79 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 5 | $90,953 | — |
| Ocean Engineering | 26 | $90,901 | #2 |
| Industrial Engineering small degree count | 13 | $90,399 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 120 | $89,901 | #151 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 96 | $88,915 | #103 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 111 | $87,196 | #73 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 74 | $86,076 | #89 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count | 12 | $80,478 | — |
| Biology, General | 193 | $80,379 | #13 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 154 | $79,692 | #79 |
| Civil Engineering | 34 | $79,457 | #156 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 42 | $77,681 | #7 |
| Economics | 47 | $77,225 | #130 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 15 | $77,224 | — |
| Marketing | 107 | $75,011 | #68 |
| Landscape Architecture small degree count | 16 | $74,488 | — |
| Mathematics | 26 | $73,746 | #110 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 97 | $72,328 | #19 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy small degree count | 16 | $72,311 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 47 | $67,384 | #20 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 170 | $64,520 | #50 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 64 | $64,328 | #7 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 35 | $61,079 | #8 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 59 | $60,922 | #54 |
| Political Science and Government | 108 | $60,559 | #145 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count | 12 | $59,964 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 120 | $56,999 | #31 |
| Psychology, General | 224 | $56,571 | #78 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 48 | $54,524 | #103 |
| History | 51 | $54,001 | #104 |
| Sociology small degree count | 12 | $53,802 | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count | 18 | $52,625 | — |
| Music small degree count | 12 | $52,346 | — |
| Journalism | 24 | $52,115 | #87 |
| Public Policy Analysis | 41 | $51,697 | #24 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 92 | $51,416 | #38 |
| Animal Sciences | 75 | $50,203 | #29 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 30 | $48,446 | #27 |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services small degree count | 13 | $48,403 | — |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management small degree count | 6 | $48,348 | — |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 35 | $45,571 | #12 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 65 | $44,983 | #36 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 22 | $44,272 | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 9 | $40,858 | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft small degree count | 13 | $33,972 | — |
| Agricultural Production Operations small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biotechnology small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 142 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Criminology | 110 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Anthropology small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 126 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International Business small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |

[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 University of Rhode Island?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
290

**Psychology, General**
224

**Biology, General**
193

**Communication and Media Studies**
170

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
154

**Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness**
142

**Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General**
126

**Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods**
120

**Mechanical Engineering**
120

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
111

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

## How do University of Rhode Island majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Ocean Engineering**#2**
2.  Apparel and Textiles**#7**
3.  Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences**#7**
4.  Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services**#8**
5.  Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management**#12**
6.  Biology, General**#13**
7.  Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication**#19**
8.  Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics**#20**
9.  Public Policy Analysis**#24**
10.  Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology**#27**
11.  Animal Sciences**#29**
12.  Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods**#31**
13.  Film/Video and Photographic Arts**#36**
14.  Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**#38**
15.  Communication and Media Studies**#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

[Azimuth's program ranking](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)s evaluate four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation, and the spread at University of Rhode Island shows why that matters. The university has 35 ranked programs and earnings data for 50 fields.

The degree mix is led by Health Professions, which accounts for 14.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 13.7% and Engineering at 8.5%. The largest single program is Nursing, at 290 degrees a year, with median earnings of $96,020 and a national rank of #79.

Biology is smaller at 193 degrees but ranks #13 nationally and earns $80,379. The highest-earning program is Electrical Engineering, where graduates earn $106,153 four years out, though it awards only 27 degrees a year.

## Data & methodology

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/).