Programs & majors brief
Washington State University Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at Washington State University?
70 of 70 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 | 177 | $119,686 | #66 |
| Computer Engineering | 46 | $114,635 | #43 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 110 | $104,354 | #35 |
| Chemical Engineering | 25 | $99,506 | #71 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 265 | $93,971 | #60 |
| Civil Engineering | 101 | $91,879 | #33 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 370 | $91,495 | #87 |
| Materials Engineering | 20 | $86,145 | #23 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 244 | $86,012 | #61 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 114 | $85,967 | #32 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 230 | $81,321 | #65 |
| International Business | 27 | $77,598 | #25 |
| Marketing | 255 | $76,595 | #47 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 26 | $76,384 | #9 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 204 | $75,980 | #118 |
| Economics | 55 | $70,215 | #168 |
| Applied Mathematics | 40 | $70,085 | #22 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | 27 | $69,708 | #3 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 28 | $69,224 | #24 |
| Food Science and Technology | 32 | $68,719 | #14 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 24 | $68,583 | #5 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 301 | $67,647 | #20 |
| Political Science and Government | 87 | $67,264 | #96 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 210 | $66,874 | #10 |
| Public Policy Analysis small degree count | 11 | $63,631 | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 26 | $63,052 | #62 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas small degree count | 8 | $62,126 | — |
| Social Sciences, General | 250 | $61,617 | #7 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 194 | $61,304 | #10 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 109 | $60,950 | #57 |
| Biology, General | 256 | $60,418 | #120 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 149 | $58,834 | #13 |
| Journalism | 81 | $58,795 | #34 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count | 15 | $58,688 | — |
| History | 73 | $58,415 | #60 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 135 | $57,956 | #17 |
| Sociology | 57 | $57,846 | #78 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count | 8 | $56,880 | — |
| Psychology, General | 466 | $56,681 | #58 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 49 | $55,687 | #40 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 91 | $55,403 | #76 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 61 | $52,765 | #24 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 106 | $50,745 | #110 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 104 | $45,002 | #83 |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 98 | $43,876 | #31 |
| Anthropology | 31 | $42,888 | #88 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 57 | $41,888 | #14 |
| Animal Sciences | 107 | $41,634 | #51 |
| Music small degree count | 15 | $41,181 | — |
| Plant Sciences | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Agricultural Business and Management small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Forestry small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 50 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 31 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 58 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Genetics | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computational Science | 34 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physical Sciences, General small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Criminology | 163 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 23 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 32 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at Washington State University?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do Washington State University majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Agricultural Production Operations#3
- Biological and Physical Sciences#5
- Social Sciences, General#7
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology#9
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#10
- Hospitality Administration/Management#10
- Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#13
- Food Science and Technology#14
- Zoology/Animal Biology#14
- Radio, Television, and Digital Communication#17
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication#20
- Applied Mathematics#22
- Materials Engineering#23
- Apparel and Textiles#24
- Design and Applied Arts#24
- International Business#25
- Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#31
- Management Information Systems and Services#32
- Civil Engineering#33
- Journalism#34
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering#35
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences#40
- Computer Engineering#43
- Marketing#47
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 Washington State University depends heavily on the field a student chooses. Azimuth ranks 44 programs at the university, evaluating four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation.
Earnings data are published for 49 programs, and award counts here reflect degrees conferred in a single academic year. The largest program families are Business, at 21.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Social Sciences at 10.4% and Engineering at 9.7%.
The single largest program is Psychology, which awards 466 degrees a year and ranks #58 nationally, with graduates earning a median of $56,681. The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where completers earn $119,686 four years after graduation.
Among the best-ranked programs nationally, Agricultural Production Operations sits at #3 with earnings of $69,708. Design and Applied Arts also stands out, ranking #24 in its field and earning $69,224, which is 1.34x the national median for the 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.