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Programs & majors brief

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# Washington University in St Louis Majors & Programs

Updated September 30, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at WashU?

The largest programs at Washington University in St Louis span a wide earnings range, and the highest-earning fields are not the ones awarding the most degrees. Computer Science is the largest program, with 205 degrees awarded and median earnings of $177,066 four years after completion.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #18 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Finance awards fewer degrees, at 181, but its graduates earn $185,551.

Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally. At the more moderate end, Research and Experimental Psychology awards 189 degrees and posts median earnings of $75,261, ranking #4 nationally.

### 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**449 · 18.9%**
-   Social sciences**301 · 12.7%**
-   Engineering**243 · 10.2%**
-   Biological sciences**218 · 9.2%**
-   Computer science**205 · 8.6%**
-   Other**960 · 40.4%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

56 of 56 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Finance and Financial Management Services 181 degrees awarded**
$185,551

**Computer Science 205 degrees awarded**
$177,066

**Business/Managerial Economics 65 degrees awarded**
$162,355

**Systems Engineering 24 degrees awarded**
$119,297

**Chemical Engineering 30 degrees awarded**
$107,843

**Economics 105 degrees awarded**
$102,439

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 181 | $185,551 | #2 |
| Computer Science | 205 | $177,066 | #18 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 65 | $162,355 | — |
| Systems Engineering | 24 | $119,297 | #4 |
| Chemical Engineering | 30 | $107,843 | — |
| Economics | 105 | $102,439 | #48 |
| Marketing | 79 | $100,489 | #6 |
| Mathematics | 77 | $98,497 | #25 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 89 | $95,965 | #50 |
| Psychology, General small degree count | 8 | $91,787 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 82 | $90,778 | #18 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 189 | $75,261 | #4 |
| Anthropology | 91 | $71,018 | #3 |
| Biology, General | 87 | $68,359 | #52 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 62 | $67,771 | #13 |
| Cognitive Science | 56 | $67,212 | #14 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 52 | $66,498 | #11 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 41 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 44 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Area Studies | 25 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Education, General small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 55 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 24 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Computer Engineering | 21 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 34 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| English Language and Literature, General | 20 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count | 16 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 51 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 30 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 22 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology small degree count | 18 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 29 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Economics and Computer Science small degree count | 8 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Chemistry | 23 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 6 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Sociology | 23 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 43 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts small degree count | 14 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Music small degree count | 9 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 31 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 48 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | 33 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 24 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations small degree count | 19 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| History | 29 | 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 WashU?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Computer Science**
205

**Research and Experimental Psychology**
189

**Finance and Financial Management Services**
181

**Economics**
105

**Anthropology**
91

**Mechanical Engineering**
89

**Biology, General**
87

**Political Science and Government**
82

**Marketing**
79

**Mathematics**
77

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

## How do WashU majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Finance and Financial Management Services**#2**
2.  Anthropology**#3**
3.  Systems Engineering**#4**
4.  Research and Experimental Psychology**#4**
5.  Marketing**#6**
6.  International/Globalization Studies**#11**
7.  Design and Applied Arts**#13**
8.  Cognitive Science**#14**
9.  Computer Science**#18**
10.  Political Science and Government**#18**
11.  Mathematics**#25**
12.  Economics**#48**
13.  Mechanical Engineering**#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

Washington University in St Louis awards bachelor's degrees across fields where earnings four years after completion span a wide range. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) programs using median earnings among federally aided completers, debt and cohort size, not reputation.

Published earnings data covers 17 programs, and Azimuth assigns a national rank to 14. Business leads the degree mix at 18.9% of degrees awarded, followed by Social Sciences at 12.7% and Engineering at 10.2%.

Across all fields, 41.2% of degrees awarded are in STEM. Award counts are degrees awarded in one academic year, not the number of students or graduates.

Finance graduates earn $185,551 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks the program #2 nationally. The largest program, Computer Science, awards 205 degrees a year and ranks #18, with earnings of $177,066. Anthropology ranks #3 nationally, with median earnings of $71,018.

## 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/).