by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you want to know more about Portland State University, such as what majors does it offer, how diverse it is, how well it ranks, and more, this is your one-stop resource.
Portland State University awards degrees and credentials ranging from certificates up to its highest offering, the doctor’s degree - research/scholarship.
| Degree Level | Offered |
|---|---|
| Certificate | ✓ |
| Associate | — |
| Bachelor’s | ✓ |
| Master’s | ✓ |
| Doctorate | ✓ |
Completions: 7,962 undergraduate · 4,298 graduate (12,260 total)
Ranked by the number of degrees awarded, these are the most popular majors at Portland State University.
| Most Popular Majors | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 6,130 |
| Psychology, General. | 401 |
| Social Work. | 366 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | 322 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | 302 |
These majors at Portland State University report the highest average early-career salaries for their graduates.
| Highest-Paying Majors | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Computer Science. | $97,990 |
| Computer Engineering. | $81,059 |
| Real Estate. | $73,970 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $72,696 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $64,997 |
Browse every major at Portland State University, grouped into broad areas of study. Each area lists its majors and any specializations within them.
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 6,130 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. ↳ Business Administration and Management, General. · Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management. · Project Management. · Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management. |
322 | $57,492 |
| Marketing. ↳ Marketing/Marketing Management, General. |
164 | $36,870 |
| Accounting and Related Services. ↳ Accounting. |
155 | $47,540 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. ↳ Finance, General. |
78 | $49,432 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. ↳ Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General. |
74 | $44,051 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other. | 43 | $39,501 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. ↳ Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other. · Management Science. |
37 | NA |
| Real Estate. | 32 | $73,970 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations. ↳ Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations, Other. · Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies. |
22 | NA |
| Taxation. | 16 | NA |
| Business/Corporate Communications. ↳ Business/Corporate Communications, General. |
11 | NA |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations. ↳ Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General. |
11 | NA |
| International Business. ↳ International Business/Trade/Commerce. |
6 | NA |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations. ↳ Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations. |
5 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. ↳ Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other. · Early Childhood Education and Teaching. |
302 | $48,242 |
| Education, General. | 128 | $47,060 |
| Special Education and Teaching. ↳ Special Education and Teaching, General. · Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness. · Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs. · Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs. |
90 | $49,417 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. ↳ Educational Leadership and Administration, General. · Higher Education/Higher Education Administration. · Adult and Continuing Education Administration. |
54 | $45,111 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. ↳ Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services. |
41 | $45,477 |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | 32 | $56,513 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language. ↳ Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor. |
29 | $16,613 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. ↳ Mathematics Teacher Education. |
1 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences, General. | 277 | $31,905 |
| Political Science and Government. ↳ Political Science and Government, General. |
84 | $31,308 |
| Sociology. ↳ Sociology, General. |
52 | $26,965 |
| Geography and Cartography. ↳ Geography. · Geographic Information Science and Cartography. |
42 | $26,943 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs. | 37 | NA |
| Economics. ↳ Economics, General. · Econometrics and Quantitative Economics. |
34 | $32,245 |
| Anthropology. ↳ Anthropology, General. |
22 | $28,090 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. ↳ International Relations and Affairs. |
12 | $28,778 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Public Health. ↳ Community Health and Preventive Medicine. · Public Health, General. · Health Services Administration. · Public Health Education and Promotion. · Environmental Health. |
181 | $32,558 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. ↳ Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. · Health and Wellness, General. |
128 | NA |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. ↳ Audiology/Audiologist. · Communication Sciences and Disorders, General. |
102 | $42,285 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. ↳ Health/Health Care Administration/Management. |
24 | $55,806 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services. ↳ Lactation Consultant. |
1 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Social Work. | 366 | $45,509 |
| Public Administration. | 27 | $56,109 |
| Public Policy Analysis. ↳ Public Policy Analysis, General. · Public Policy Analysis, Other. |
20 | NA |
| Community Organization and Advocacy. | 10 | $29,429 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other. | 5 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General. | 401 | $30,278 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. ↳ Applied Behavior Analysis. · Community Psychology. |
18 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Computer Engineering. | 120 | NA |
| Mechanical Engineering. | 91 | $64,997 |
| Civil Engineering. ↳ Civil Engineering, General. |
64 | $62,514 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. ↳ Electrical and Electronics Engineering. |
33 | $72,696 |
| Materials Engineering. | 28 | NA |
| Computer Engineering. ↳ Computer Engineering, General. |
15 | $81,059 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. | 12 | $55,612 |
| Systems Engineering. | 9 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science. | 244 | $97,990 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 69 | NA |
| Computer Software and Media Applications. ↳ Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration. |
18 | NA |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. ↳ Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance. |
12 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. ↳ Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. |
152 | $33,967 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 96 | $32,021 |
| International/Globalization Studies. | 20 | NA |
| Data Science. ↳ Data Science, General. |
17 | NA |
| Data Analytics. ↳ Business Analytics. |
13 | NA |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. | 9 | $44,309 |
| Sustainability Studies. | 5 | NA |
| Gerontology. | 3 | NA |
| Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature. | 1 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. ↳ Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. · Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other. |
241 | $31,991 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts. ↳ Graphic Design. |
68 | $36,317 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. ↳ Fine/Studio Arts, General. · Art History, Criticism and Conservation. |
63 | $22,381 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. ↳ Film/Cinema/Media Studies. |
45 | $24,124 |
| Music. ↳ Music Performance, General. · Voice and Opera. · Music Theory and Composition. · Music, General. · Conducting. |
27 | $26,063 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other. | 17 | NA |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. ↳ Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General. |
7 | $24,757 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, General. ↳ Biology/Biological Sciences, General. |
127 | $30,441 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. ↳ Biochemistry. |
19 | $39,299 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. ↳ Biostatistics. |
13 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. ↳ Criminal Justice/Safety Studies. |
137 | $36,250 |
| Homeland Security. ↳ Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management. |
8 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature, General. | 87 | $29,822 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. ↳ Creative Writing. · Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing. |
40 | $32,164 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics. ↳ Mathematics, General. |
66 | $35,768 |
| Applied Mathematics. ↳ Financial Mathematics. |
38 | NA |
| Statistics. ↳ Statistics, General. |
4 | NA |
| Applied Statistics. ↳ Applied Statistics, General. |
4 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture. | 54 | $36,986 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning. | 34 | $50,449 |
| Environmental Design. ↳ Environmental Design/Architecture. |
3 | NA |
| Architecture and Related Services, Other. | 3 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Communication, General. ↳ Speech Communication and Rhetoric. |
62 | $36,472 |
| Publishing. | 22 | $31,328 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. ↳ Spanish Language and Literature. · French Language and Literature. |
29 | $25,916 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services. ↳ Linguistics. · Foreign Languages and Literatures, General. |
24 | $26,896 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. ↳ Japanese Language and Literature. |
11 | $26,377 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. ↳ Russian Language and Literature. |
8 | $33,771 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. ↳ German Language and Literature. |
4 | NA |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other. | 1 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. ↳ Environmental Science. · Environmental Studies. |
68 | $27,557 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. ↳ Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General. |
3 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. ↳ Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other. · Child Development. |
55 | $30,216 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services. ↳ Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other. · Foodservice Systems Administration/Management. |
14 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. ↳ Geology/Earth Science, General. · Hydrology and Water Resources Science. |
20 | $40,248 |
| Chemistry. ↳ Chemistry, General. |
18 | $44,198 |
| Physics. ↳ Physics, General. |
15 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| History. ↳ History, General. |
41 | $29,076 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering-Related Fields. ↳ Engineering/Industrial Management. |
32 | NA |
| ENGINEERING/ENGINEERING-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES/TECHNICIANS. ↳ Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians. |
3 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies. ↳ Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other. · African-American/Black Studies. · Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies. · American Indian/Native American Studies. · Women's Studies. |
28 | $28,412 |
| Area Studies. ↳ European Studies/Civilization. · Latin American Studies. · Near and Middle Eastern Studies. |
3 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians. ↳ Recording Arts Technology/Technician. |
21 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy. | 16 | $23,484 |
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.