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Programs & majors brief

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# Western Carolina University Majors & Programs

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## Which majors earn the most at Western Carolina University?

The five largest programs at Western Carolina University show a clear split between higher-earning health and technical fields and more moderate-earning business and education programs four years after completion. Nursing is the highest-earning among the largest, with a median of $79,533 across 250 degrees awarded.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #215 nationally within its field. Business Administration and Management, the largest program at 273 degrees a year, reports a median of $57,713 and a national rank of #266.

At the more moderate end, Teacher Education records $47,105 across 150 degrees awarded. Azimuth places it #152 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Criminal Justice sits between the two ends, with median earnings of $55,903 and a national rank of #86.

### 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**603 · 22.0%**
-   Health professions**577 · 21.1%**
-   Education**222 · 8.1%**
-   Homeland security**149 · 5.4%**
-   Public administration**149 · 5.4%**
-   Other**1,036 · 37.9%**

Find a field

Sort programsLargest programsHighest four-year earningsBest national field rankProgram name

50 of 50 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs

**Computer Science 21 degrees awarded**
$86,853

**Construction Engineering Technology/Technician 43 degrees awarded**
$83,954

**Engineering, General 50 degrees awarded**
$82,500

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 250 degrees awarded**
$79,533

**Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians 16 degrees awarded**
$79,441

**Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General 53 degrees awarded**
$78,801

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 | 21 | $86,853 | #176 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 43 | $83,954 | #29 |
| Engineering, General | 50 | $82,500 | #14 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 250 | $79,533 | #215 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians small degree count | 16 | $79,441 | — |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 53 | $78,801 | #11 |
| Public Administration | 90 | $70,331 | #4 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 107 | $65,010 | #51 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 39 | $62,128 | #78 |
| Public Health small degree count | 8 | $61,698 | — |
| Accounting and Related Services | 44 | $61,346 | #260 |
| Mathematics | 22 | $59,885 | #198 |
| Design and Applied Arts small degree count | 19 | $58,467 | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 54 | $58,076 | #206 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 273 | $57,713 | #266 |
| Marketing | 149 | $56,568 | #167 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 149 | $55,903 | #86 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 26 | $53,622 | #33 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 32 | $52,183 | #132 |
| Political Science and Government | 25 | $52,077 | #265 |
| Chemistry | 62 | $51,213 | #143 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 31 | $50,761 | #190 |
| Biology, General | 90 | $50,180 | #325 |
| Social Work | 59 | $50,025 | #136 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 27 | $49,898 | #23 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 27 | $49,834 | #13 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 34 | $49,798 | #72 |
| Psychology, General | 128 | $48,350 | #239 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 60 | $48,232 | #120 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 150 | $47,105 | #152 |
| Special Education and Teaching small degree count | 12 | $47,031 | — |
| Sociology | 20 | $46,195 | #226 |
| Anthropology | 48 | $45,809 | #57 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 39 | $45,079 | #231 |
| Music | 50 | $44,014 | #78 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication small degree count | 14 | $43,954 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 46 | $43,322 | #240 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 39 | $43,029 | #122 |
| History small degree count | 19 | $42,698 | — |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | 32 | $41,786 | #25 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 28 | $40,831 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 16 | $40,744 | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 21 | $34,516 | #124 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 29 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities small degree count | 15 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| International/Globalization Studies small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 127 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count | 10 | 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 Western Carolina University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
273

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
250

**Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods**
150

**Criminal Justice and Corrections**
149

**Marketing**
149

**Psychology, General**
128

**Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General**
127

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions**
107

**Biology, General**
90

**Public Administration**
90

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

## How do Western Carolina University majors rank nationally?

### National program rankings

1.  Public Administration**#4**
2.  Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General**#11**
3.  Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy**#13**
4.  Engineering, General**#14**
5.  Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions**#23**
6.  Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management**#25**
7.  Construction Engineering Technology/Technician**#29**
8.  Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services**#33**
9.  Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Included by program size**#215**
10.  Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size**#266**

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

Outcomes at Western Carolina University vary sharply by field, and [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. The university has 35 ranked programs and 43 with published earnings data.

The degree mix is concentrated in two families: Business accounts for 22.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded, and Health Professions makes up 21.1%. Education is a distant third at 8.1%.

Nursing is a large program with 250 degrees awarded, median earnings of $79,533, and an Azimuth national rank of #215. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one: Computer Science graduates earn $86,853 four years after completion, from 21 degrees a year.

Azimuth ranks Public Administration #4 nationally, with 90 degrees awarded and earnings of $70,331.

## 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/).