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Programs & majors brief

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# Washington State University Majors & Programs

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at Washington State University?

Washington State University pairs higher-earning computing and engineering fields with moderately earning programs that place well in Azimuth’s field rankings. Computer Science reports median earnings of $119,686 four years after completion, with 177 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #66 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Electrical Engineering records $104,354 and 110 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #35 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The moderate-earning side includes Agricultural Production Operations, at $69,708 with 27 degrees awarded and an Azimuth rank of #3 among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Social Sciences shows $61,617 and 250 degrees awarded, ranking #7 through Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The figures show distinct earnings levels alongside strong rankings in several moderate-earning 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.

-   Business**1,316 · 21.3%**
-   Social sciences**643 · 10.4%**
-   Engineering**598 · 9.7%**
-   Biological sciences**525 · 8.5%**
-   Communication**517 · 8.4%**
-   Other**2,567 · 41.6%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

70 of 70 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer Science 177 degrees awarded**
$119,686

**Computer Engineering 46 degrees awarded**
$114,635

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 110 degrees awarded**
$104,354

**Chemical Engineering 25 degrees awarded**
$99,506

**Mechanical Engineering 265 degrees awarded**
$93,971

**Civil Engineering 101 degrees awarded**
$91,879

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 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](#page-sources) · [How to evaluate program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## What are the largest programs at Washington State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Psychology, General**
466

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
370

**Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication**
301

**Mechanical Engineering**
265

**Biology, General**
256

**Marketing**
255

**Social Sciences, General**
250

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
244

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
230

**Hospitality Administration/Management**
210

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

## How do Washington State University majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Agricultural Production Operations**#3**
2.  Biological and Physical Sciences**#5**
3.  Social Sciences, General**#7**
4.  Microbiological Sciences and Immunology**#9**
5.  Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods**#10**
6.  Hospitality Administration/Management**#10**
7.  Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services**#13**
8.  Food Science and Technology**#14**
9.  Zoology/Animal Biology**#14**
10.  Radio, Television, and Digital Communication**#17**
11.  Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication**#20**
12.  Applied Mathematics**#22**
13.  Materials Engineering**#23**
14.  Apparel and Textiles**#24**
15.  Design and Applied Arts**#24**
16.  International Business**#25**
17.  Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences**#31**
18.  Management Information Systems and Services**#32**
19.  Civil Engineering**#33**
20.  Journalism**#34**
21.  Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**#35**
22.  Neurobiology and Neurosciences**#40**
23.  Computer Engineering**#43**
24.  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.

[How Azimuth compares programs across colleges](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)

## Further analysis

The return on a degree from Washington State University depends heavily on the field a student chooses. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 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](/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/).