Ranked

Most popular US degrees by number of graduates

Ranked by how many students complete them each year, with what those graduates go on to earn.

#MajorLevelGradeMedian earningsTypical rangeGraduates/yr
81 Dietetics and Nutrition Bachelor's D $32,925 $27,642–$36,134 2,467
82 Chemistry Master's C $55,108 $44,384–$72,231 2,413
83 Physics Master's C $66,207 $53,984–$71,575 2,152
84 Management Information Systems Master's B $69,535 $66,885–$82,440 2,009
85 Political Science Master's D $46,283 $37,208–$50,856 2,000
86 Pharmacy Master's A $92,124 $76,460–$100,849 1,995
87 Film and Photography Master's F $31,670 $26,353–$35,823 1,871
88 Dietetics and Nutrition Master's C $47,846 $46,087–$50,105 1,804
89 Chemical Engineering Master's B $76,460 $73,949–$83,546 1,687
90 Social Sciences Master's F $38,481 $37,208–$49,058 1,618
91 Journalism Master's D $41,863 $38,289–$47,260 1,525
92 Sociology Master's D $40,560 $31,314–$41,565 1,358
93 Hospitality Management Master's C $49,058 $45,383–$57,860 1,226
94 Health Services Master's D $46,966 $39,909–$55,964 1,209
95 Geography Master's C $54,713 $52,733–$63,005 1,193
96 Microbiology Master's C $48,432 $35,600–$49,323 998
97 Allied Health Bachelor's D $32,162 $32,162–$32,162 949
98 Architecture Master's C $53,358 $49,136–$56,234 805
99 Allied Health Master's A $133,319 $89,841–$166,905 504
100 Family and Consumer Sciences Bachelor's C $38,108 $38,018–$41,193 475

Popular does not mean well paid

The most-awarded degrees in the US are not the best-paying ones. Business, psychology and nursing dominate on volume for reasons of interest, access and licensing rather than salary — check the earnings column beside each row.

Why volume matters anyway

A field with tens of thousands of graduates a year has a deep, competitive job market and plenty of programmes to choose between, which usually means more scholarship money in circulation and more places where you can study it affordably.

Questions

What is the most popular college major in the US?
Dietetics and Nutrition (Bachelor's) — $32,925 median earnings two years after finishing, across 156 US programmes.
Are these starting salaries?
No. They are median earnings two years after students completed the degree, taken from tax records rather than surveys or job adverts.
Can I compare a master's with a bachelor's here?
Only with care. Each grade is a percentile inside its own credential level, so an A master's and an A bachelor's are both top-of-their-level rather than equal in salary.
All degree grades Highest paying majors Lowest earning majors University costs & payback Scholarships

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study earnings, measured two years after completion. Majors with too few programmes publishing earnings are left out rather than estimated.