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VCU majors and salaries
Virginia Commonwealth University · Richmond, Virginia · Public · 20,753 undergraduates
Computer and Information Sciences, General ($118,521) and Computer Engineering ($118,273) are the best-paid programs four years after graduation. Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry graduates earned the least four years out, a median of $37,253; the top program pays 3.2 times as much. University of Kentucky, University of New Mexico and Western Washington University trail VCU on median earnings ten years after enrollment, while University of Kansas, University of Oregon and Colorado State University, Fort Collins 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 253 | $18,827 | $82,745 | $118,521 |
| Computer Engineering | 41 | $22,043 | $80,958 | $118,273 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 53 | $22,000 | $83,487 | $107,487 |
| Chemical Engineering | 81 | $27,000 | $83,334 | $97,781 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 178 | $22,875 | $74,615 | $88,410 |
| Information Science/Studies | 301 | $19,375 | $62,422 | $87,219 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 413 | $21,120 | $80,739 | $86,661 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 90 | $15,363 | $50,122 | $86,295 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 70 | $16,125 | $72,444 | $80,344 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 133 | $22,125 | $62,986 | $78,631 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 29 | $15,000 | $82,598 | $78,231 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 83 | $26,000 | $76,696 | $77,786 |
| Physics | 26 | – | $67,201 | $77,737 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other | 140 | $18,750 | $52,084 | $72,239 |
| Marketing | 289 | $18,250 | $47,969 | $68,622 |
| Mathematics | 59 | $14,086 | $59,078 | $68,457 |
| Business/Commerce, General | 445 | $16,410 | $54,755 | $68,387 |
| Chemistry | 186 | $19,674 | $45,179 | $67,439 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 175 | $18,020 | $64,938 | – |
| Philosophy | 43 | $19,750 | $33,002 | $64,402 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 58 | $19,092 | $57,550 | $64,164 |
| Political Science and Government | 316 | $18,500 | $45,615 | $62,182 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 147 | $22,375 | $42,836 | $61,395 |
| Security Science and Technology | 120 | $24,799 | $46,178 | $61,026 |
| Real Estate | 32 | – | $57,084 | $60,718 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 371 | $20,000 | $41,953 | $59,968 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 640 | $20,500 | $40,189 | $59,442 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 422 | $19,500 | $42,112 | $58,792 |
| Biology, General | 682 | $19,500 | $35,052 | $58,420 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | 60 | $16,807 | $44,334 | $58,084 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 77 | $15,250 | $56,975 | – |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 333 | $20,000 | $48,106 | $55,855 |
| Social Work | 182 | $21,996 | $36,945 | $55,288 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 675 | $21,742 | $34,780 | $53,575 |
| History | 139 | $20,500 | $44,015 | $53,186 |
| Sociology | 107 | $19,500 | $34,339 | $53,122 |
| Psychology, General | 1,051 | $18,750 | $38,562 | $51,440 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 118 | $20,125 | $39,999 | $50,217 |
| Anthropology | 41 | $22,050 | $31,386 | $49,641 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 68 | $21,000 | $49,477 | – |
| Area Studies | 63 | $19,375 | $40,946 | $45,852 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 194 | $19,500 | $38,166 | $45,844 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 16 | – | $30,769 | $45,607 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 108 | $19,500 | $28,887 | $43,957 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 123 | $20,500 | $29,226 | $43,690 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 55 | $20,500 | $38,263 | $42,233 |
| Music | 84 | $25,502 | $37,008 | $38,278 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 199 | $17,875 | $29,940 | $37,958 |
| Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry | 54 | $21,974 | $24,179 | $37,253 |
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
- 65% (four-year colleges: 54% median)
- First-year students who return
- 85%
- Students per faculty member
- 17
- Median earnings 10 years after enrolling
- $64,442 (four-year colleges: $58,912 median)
- Median federal debt at graduation
- $19,500 (four-year colleges: $21,609 median)
Colleges similar to VCU
The six public four-year colleges closest to VCU in acceptance rate and undergraduate enrollment.
| College | Acceptance rate | Avg net price | Earnings after 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kansas Lawrence, KS | 93% | $20,004 | $67,963 |
| University of Oregon Eugene, OR | 88% | $22,547 | $66,990 |
| University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | 93% | $18,868 | $63,924 |
| Colorado State University, Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | 89% | $22,247 | $66,947 |
| University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM | 95% | $19,966 | $50,072 |
| Western Washington University Bellingham, WA | 93% | $19,963 | $64,305 |
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 · VCU on College Scorecard