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LSU majors and salaries
Louisiana State University · Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Public · 30,594 undergraduates
Chemical Engineering ($114,226) and Computer Engineering ($106,897) are the best-paid programs four years after graduation. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft graduates earned the least four years out, a median of $38,317; the top program pays three times as much. Arkansas, University of North Texas and Oklahoma State University trail LSU on median earnings ten years after enrollment, while Texas Tech University, Alabama and Oregon State University are ahead.
Highest-paying bachelor's programs
Every program with earnings data
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Median debt | Pay after 1 yr | Pay after 4 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Engineering | 146 | $15,076 | $86,700 | $114,226 |
| Computer Engineering | 44 | $21,187 | – | $106,897 |
| Petroleum Engineering | 59 | $27,000 | $99,842 | $103,421 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 259 | $18,500 | $81,248 | $99,975 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 133 | $18,367 | $83,624 | $97,208 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 290 | $13,125 | $65,667 | $95,302 |
| Industrial Engineering | 90 | $20,812 | $74,039 | $94,748 |
| Construction Management | 409 | $19,625 | $72,846 | $91,660 |
| Computer Science | 302 | $18,087 | $64,916 | $89,307 |
| Civil Engineering | 146 | $20,500 | $71,816 | $85,627 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 228 | $18,750 | $53,475 | $82,617 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 50 | $16,604 | – | $81,799 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 153 | $21,500 | $65,125 | $80,498 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 45 | $19,081 | $68,174 | $80,129 |
| Architecture | – | $25,758 | $57,075 | $69,029 |
| Landscape Architecture | 43 | – | – | $68,140 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 81 | $21,375 | $45,491 | $67,493 |
| Political Science and Government | 380 | $19,500 | $36,289 | $67,007 |
| Geography and Cartography | 31 | – | $38,606 | $66,168 |
| International Business | 64 | $18,500 | – | $65,326 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 462 | $18,625 | $47,405 | $64,590 |
| Mathematics | 72 | $19,281 | $50,074 | $64,121 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 802 | $20,000 | $31,189 | $61,045 |
| Marketing | 436 | $20,931 | $44,944 | $60,408 |
| Interior Architecture | 69 | $21,250 | $48,098 | $58,518 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 365 | $21,354 | $39,329 | $56,413 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 113 | $19,352 | $56,058 | – |
| Biology, General | 728 | $19,000 | $25,755 | $56,019 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 154 | $18,561 | $29,082 | $55,630 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 645 | $19,500 | $41,301 | $55,245 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 88 | $23,500 | – | $55,159 |
| Sociology | 298 | $20,687 | $32,521 | $54,442 |
| Psychology, General | 502 | $17,750 | $29,246 | $51,675 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 55 | $17,750 | $31,088 | $51,592 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 124 | $25,284 | $49,502 | $51,577 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 70 | $23,187 | $30,543 | $50,422 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 114 | $16,125 | $37,126 | $50,173 |
| Philosophy | 38 | – | – | $50,016 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 76 | $20,500 | $26,816 | $49,540 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 147 | $16,750 | $35,970 | $49,464 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 62 | $31,000 | $48,650 | – |
| Apparel and Textiles | 89 | $25,750 | $39,470 | $48,603 |
| History | 133 | $17,958 | $36,760 | $48,454 |
| Music | 64 | $15,000 | $34,930 | $47,521 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 281 | $25,500 | $44,988 | $47,176 |
| Anthropology | 60 | $19,562 | $25,910 | $44,738 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 18 | – | $34,826 | $43,964 |
| Animal Sciences | 185 | $18,593 | $33,612 | $43,797 |
| Chemistry | 65 | $21,000 | $43,479 | – |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 252 | $19,500 | $32,317 | $43,364 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 59 | $21,281 | $26,767 | $38,317 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 63 | $21,382 | $37,811 | – |
| Plant Sciences | 38 | – | $36,709 | – |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 64 | $19,937 | $25,019 | – |
Programs are grouped by four-digit CIP code, so one row can cover several related majors. "Graduates" counts bachelor's degrees awarded across the two years that make up each earnings cohort.
Outcomes
- Six-year graduation rate
- 68% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
- First-year students who return
- 85%
- Students per faculty member
- 21
- Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
- $64,338 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
- Median federal debt at graduation
- $19,500 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)
Colleges similar to LSU
The six public four-year colleges closest to LSU in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.
| College | Acceptance rate | Avg net price | Earnings after 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | 73% | $19,890 | $67,143 |
| Arkansas Fayetteville, AR | 74% | $17,571 | $63,588 |
| Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL | 77% | $20,202 | $66,081 |
| Oregon State University Corvallis, OR | 77% | $21,504 | $67,894 |
| University of North Texas Denton, TX | 72% | $15,358 | $59,434 |
| Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK | 75% | $17,058 | $60,713 |
Program earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled, one and four years after finishing, for two pooled graduating classes. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and do not appear. College Scorecard data updated November 2, 2026. How these figures are built · LSU on College Scorecard