1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/)
4.  /
5.  Programs & majors brief

Programs & majors brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Majors & Programs

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/admissions/)Majors[Similar schools](/school/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at Virginia Tech?

At Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the higher-earning fields in this set are technical, but earnings vary across prominent programs. Four years after completion, Computer and Information Sciences shows median earnings of $144,103 from 366 degrees awarded.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the field #14 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Industrial Engineering reports $116,641 from 191 degrees awarded and ranks #5 nationally by Azimuth among that cohort.

Outside engineering, Management Science records median earnings of $108,726 across 444 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it at #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services is more moderate at $74,005 from 252 degrees awarded, despite an Azimuth national rank of #1 among that cohort.

The field results range from high earnings in technical programs to a more moderate figure in this nationally ranked field.

### 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.

-   Business**1,543 · 21.2%**
-   Engineering**1,540 · 21.1%**
-   Social sciences**638 · 8.8%**
-   Biological sciences**594 · 8.1%**
-   Family and consumer sciences**547 · 7.5%**
-   Other**2,427 · 33.3%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

68 of 68 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer and Information Sciences, General 366 degrees awarded**
$144,103

**Computer Engineering 184 degrees awarded**
$122,026

**Industrial Engineering 191 degrees awarded**
$116,641

**Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods 444 degrees awarded**
$108,726

**Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering 198 degrees awarded**
$106,633

**Chemical Engineering 71 degrees awarded**
$106,011

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 366 | $144,103 | #14 |
| Computer Engineering | 184 | $122,026 | #30 |
| Industrial Engineering | 191 | $116,641 | #5 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 444 | $108,726 | #8 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 198 | $106,633 | #8 |
| Chemical Engineering | 71 | $106,011 | #29 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 104 | $104,839 | #52 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 294 | $102,902 | #28 |
| Construction Engineering | 65 | $102,699 | #3 |
| Engineering Mechanics | 22 | $101,509 | #1 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 162 | $99,528 | #27 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 319 | $96,376 | #53 |
| Real Estate | 112 | $95,576 | #6 |
| Construction Management | 101 | $95,165 | #12 |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | 32 | $94,397 | — |
| Statistics | 34 | $94,300 | #21 |
| Physics | 51 | $92,746 | #17 |
| Economics | 79 | $92,653 | #71 |
| Materials Engineering | 66 | $90,828 | #12 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 42 | $88,315 | #8 |
| Civil Engineering | 204 | $88,142 | #49 |
| Marketing | 211 | $86,338 | #29 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 24 | $81,618 | #18 |
| Food Science and Technology | 25 | $80,161 | #7 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 165 | $80,023 | #82 |
| Political Science and Government | 185 | $75,687 | #48 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | 252 | $74,005 | #1 |
| Chemistry | 33 | $73,395 | #48 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 54 | $72,817 | #8 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 70 | $72,213 | #10 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 130 | $71,988 | #23 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 69 | $68,263 | #5 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 23 | $67,892 | #3 |
| Mathematics | 72 | $67,763 | #118 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 106 | $67,621 | #36 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 24 | $67,253 | #26 |
| Public Policy Analysis small degree count | 15 | $66,177 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 219 | $66,106 | #41 |
| Geography and Cartography | 35 | $65,259 | #23 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | 86 | $65,248 | #2 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 86 | $64,225 | #21 |
| Forestry | 87 | $64,204 | #5 |
| Sociology | 209 | $63,654 | #19 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 31 | $62,398 | #41 |
| Biology, General | 250 | $61,703 | #112 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 25 | $59,969 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 59 | $59,868 | #58 |
| History | 49 | $59,819 | #56 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 205 | $59,714 | #27 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 59 | $58,652 | #7 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 209 | $58,340 | #11 |
| Plant Sciences | 46 | $56,630 | #17 |
| Psychology, General | 236 | $56,365 | #88 |
| Agriculture, General small degree count | 13 | $53,568 | — |
| Music | 21 | $48,028 | #66 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 72 | $47,496 | #7 |
| Animal Sciences | 164 | $47,224 | #41 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 129 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Landscape Architecture small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 42 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Data Science | 174 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy | 34 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physical Sciences, Other | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 24 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Public Health | 58 | 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 Virginia Tech?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods**
444

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
366

**Mechanical Engineering**
319

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
294

**Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services**
252

**Biology, General**
250

**Psychology, General**
236

**Communication and Media Studies**
219

**Marketing**
211

**Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**
209

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

## How do Virginia Tech majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Engineering Mechanics**#1**
2.  Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services**#1**
3.  Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services**#2**
4.  Construction Engineering**#3**
5.  Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology**#3**
6.  Forestry**#5**
7.  Industrial Engineering**#5**
8.  Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services**#5**
9.  Real Estate**#6**
10.  Food Science and Technology**#7**
11.  Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management**#7**
12.  Fine and Studio Arts**#7**
13.  Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering**#8**
14.  Agricultural Engineering**#8**
15.  Hospitality Administration/Management**#8**
16.  Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods**#8**
17.  Design and Applied Arts**#10**
18.  Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**#11**
19.  Materials Engineering**#12**
20.  Construction Management**#12**
21.  Computer and Information Sciences, General**#14**
22.  Plant Sciences**#17**
23.  Physics**#17**
24.  Engineering-Related Fields**#18**
25.  Sociology**#19**
26.  English Language and Literature, General**#21**
27.  Statistics**#21**
28.  Geography and Cartography**#23**
29.  International Relations and National Security Studies**#23**
30.  Microbiological Sciences and Immunology**#26**
31.  Neurobiology and Neurosciences**#27**
32.  Accounting and Related Services**#27**
33.  Finance and Financial Management Services**#28**
34.  Chemical Engineering**#29**
35.  Marketing**#29**
36.  Computer Engineering**#30**
37.  Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology**#36**
38.  Agricultural Business and Management**#41**
39.  Animal Sciences**#41**
40.  Communication and Media Studies**#41**
41.  Chemistry**#48**
42.  Political Science and Government**#48**
43.  Civil Engineering**#49**

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

At Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 57 programs have published earnings data, and 53 carry an Azimuth national rank. The degree mix is led by Business and Engineering, which together account for nearly half of all bachelor's degrees awarded.

Business makes up 21.2% of degrees, and Engineering follows at 21.1%. Social Sciences is third at 8.8%.

Management Science is the largest single program, conferring 444 degrees a year and ranked #8 nationally. Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn a median of $144,103 four years after completion, the highest among the large programs.

Award counts reflect degrees conferred in one academic year, and program earnings cover federally aided completers.

## 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/).