Programs & majors brief

Wichita State University Majors & Programs

Updated

Which majors earn the most at Wichita State University?

The largest programs at Wichita State University show a wide spread in earnings four years after completion. Nursing leads with 154 degrees awarded, a median of $75,784, and an Azimuth national rank of #282.

Business Administration and Management reports $63,852 on 139 degrees awarded and ranks #230 nationally. Psychology, at $42,690 with 121 degrees awarded, ranks #312 nationally.

The highest-earning ranked program is Nursing, while Psychology sits at the lower end of the range among the largest fields. The contrast between these programs shows the variation in early-career earnings that students encounter across the university's degree offerings.

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.

  • Business434 · 18.0%
  • Education370 · 15.4%
  • Health professions355 · 14.8%
  • Engineering269 · 11.2%
  • Visual and performing arts125 · 5.2%
  • Other852 · 35.4%

57 of 57 programs shown

Four-year earnings · first six matching programs
Computer Science 68 degrees awarded
$97,335
Mechanical Engineering 76 degrees awarded
$89,074
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering 67 degrees awarded
$83,057
Computer and Information Sciences, General 24 degrees awarded
$81,265
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General 25 degrees awarded
$77,103
Computer Engineering 23 degrees awarded
$76,203

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
ProgramDegrees awarded4-yr earningsField rank
Computer Science68$97,335#125
Mechanical Engineering76$89,074#155
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering67$83,057#52
Computer and Information Sciences, General24$81,265#147
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General25$77,103#15
Computer Engineering23$76,203#135
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing154$75,784#282
Business/Managerial Economics small degree count11$73,166—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering35$72,936#95
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count19$69,711—
Accounting and Related Services90$69,696#178
Chemistry small degree count16$67,475—
International Business small degree count9$65,366—
Finance and Financial Management Services70$64,060#193
Business Administration, Management and Operations139$63,852#230
Human Resources Management and Services37$63,150#50
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions59$61,982#29
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations small degree count13$61,960—
Biology, General49$56,959#236
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services31$55,638#102
Political Science and Government20$54,874#244
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences54$52,833#27
Marketing65$52,709#194
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas83$51,728#67
Criminal Justice and Corrections76$51,305#154
Communication and Media Studies35$50,773#198
Social Work71$49,670#131
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General53$48,537#63
Health and Medical Administrative Services27$48,446#76
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness51$47,463#196
Anthropology22$47,392#60
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods287$47,389#116
English Language and Literature, General small degree count16$46,768—
History small degree count9$46,090—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities72$43,452—
Psychology, General121$42,690#312
Sociology small degree count14$42,450—
Fine and Studio Arts small degree count12$37,604—
Visual and Performing Arts, General83$37,012#20
Design and Applied Arts small degree count17$36,723—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication small degree count14Too few graduates to report—
Journalism small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Electrical and Computer Engineering31Too few graduates to report—
Industrial Engineering27Too few graduates to report—
Manufacturing Engineering small degree count10Too few graduates to report—
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians21Too few graduates to report—
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology small degree count5Too few graduates to report—
Mathematics small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other small degree count6Too few graduates to report—
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Physics small degree count9Too few graduates to report—
Homeland Security small degree count7Too few graduates to report—
Music small degree count13Too few graduates to report—
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions small degree count12Too few graduates to report—

Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings

What are the largest programs at Wichita State University?

Ten largest programs by degrees awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
287
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
154
Business Administration, Management and Operations
139
Psychology, General
121
Accounting and Related Services
90
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
83
Visual and Performing Arts, General
83
Mechanical Engineering
76
Criminal Justice and Corrections
76
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
72

Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions

How do Wichita State University majors rank nationally?

National program rankings

  1. Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General#15
  2. Visual and Performing Arts, General#20
  3. Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences#27
  4. Dental Support Services and Allied Professions#29
  5. Human Resources Management and Services#50
  6. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Included by program size#116
  7. Accounting and Related Services Included by program size#178
  8. Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size#230
  9. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Included by program size#282
  10. Psychology, General Included by program size#312

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

Further analysis

Outcomes vary by field, and Azimuth's program rankings evaluate four-year earnings among completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. Wichita State University has published earnings data for 40 bachelor's programs, and Azimuth ranks 29 of them nationally.

The three largest program families are Business (18.1% of degrees awarded), Education (15.4%), and Health Professions (14.8%). The single largest program is Teacher Education, which confers 287 degrees a year and shows median earnings of $47,389 four years after completion.

Nursing is ranked #282 nationally and #3 in Kansas, with median earnings of $75,784. Business Administration and Management is ranked #230 nationally and #3 in Kansas, earning a median of $63,852.

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

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.