by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you want to know more about Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 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.
At Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, students can earn anything from associate degrees through the doctor’s degree - research/scholarship and professional practice.
| Degree Level | Offered |
|---|---|
| Certificate | — |
| Associate | ✓ |
| Bachelor’s | ✓ |
| Master’s | ✓ |
| Doctorate | ✓ |
Completions: 15,526 undergraduate · 6,172 graduate (21,698 total)
Ranked by the number of degrees awarded, these are the most popular majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
| Most Popular Majors | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 10,849 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | 797 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | 542 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | 447 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | 401 |
Among Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University programs with salary data, these majors lead on average graduate earnings.
| Highest-Paying Majors | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | $97,383 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | $82,448 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | $79,533 |
| Computer Engineering. | $75,104 |
| Chemical Engineering. | $72,805 |
Explore the full list of majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, sorted by study area.
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 10,849 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering. | 447 | $70,451 |
| Civil Engineering. ↳ Civil Engineering, General. |
340 | $65,949 |
| Computer Engineering. ↳ Computer Engineering, General. |
325 | $75,104 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering. ↳ Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General. |
296 | $70,891 |
| Industrial Engineering. | 296 | $70,925 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. ↳ Electrical and Electronics Engineering. |
202 | $79,533 |
| Chemical Engineering. | 89 | $72,805 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering. ↳ Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. |
81 | NA |
| Construction Engineering. | 69 | $68,755 |
| Materials Engineering. | 65 | $60,906 |
| Agricultural Engineering. | 44 | $60,131 |
| Engineering, Other. | 22 | NA |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering. | 20 | $69,045 |
| Engineering Mechanics. | 10 | NA |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. | 10 | NA |
| Nuclear Engineering. | 8 | NA |
| Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. | 6 | NA |
| Systems Engineering. | 6 | NA |
| Polymer/Plastics Engineering. | 6 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. ↳ Management Science. |
542 | $67,610 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. ↳ Business Administration and Management, General. · Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other. · Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management. · Organizational Leadership. |
401 | $70,220 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. ↳ Finance, General. · Public Finance. |
331 | $59,846 |
| Marketing. ↳ Marketing/Marketing Management, General. |
279 | $49,648 |
| Accounting and Related Services. ↳ Accounting. |
186 | $61,029 |
| Construction Management. ↳ Construction Management, General. |
107 | $69,047 |
| Real Estate. | 87 | NA |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. ↳ Hospitality Administration/Management, General. |
42 | $47,314 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | 11 | NA |
| Management Information Systems and Services. ↳ Information Resources Management. |
8 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. ↳ Computer and Information Sciences, General. · Computer and Information Sciences, Other. |
797 | $82,448 |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | 160 | $97,383 |
| Computer Programming. ↳ Computer Programming/Programmer, General. |
34 | NA |
| Data Processing. ↳ Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician. |
22 | NA |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications. | 20 | NA |
| Information Science/Studies. | 4 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, General. ↳ Biology/Biological Sciences, General. · Biomedical Sciences, General. |
339 | $22,263 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences. ↳ Neuroscience. |
222 | $19,929 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. ↳ Biochemistry. |
114 | $31,684 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other. | 35 | NA |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology. ↳ Microbiology, General. |
27 | $30,897 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology. ↳ Computational Biology. · Bioinformatics. |
12 | NA |
| Zoology/Animal Biology. ↳ Entomology. |
5 | NA |
| Botany/Plant Biology. ↳ Plant Pathology/Phytopathology. |
3 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science and Government. ↳ Political Science and Government, General. |
190 | $38,529 |
| Sociology. ↳ Sociology, General. |
172 | $35,639 |
| Economics. ↳ Economics, General. · Applied Economics. · Econometrics and Quantitative Economics. · Development Economics and International Development. |
128 | $43,249 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. ↳ International Relations and Affairs. · International Relations and National Security Studies, Other. |
118 | $39,039 |
| Geography and Cartography. ↳ Geography. · Geographic Information Science and Cartography. |
49 | $33,269 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs. | 26 | NA |
| Social Sciences, Other. | 11 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Sciences. ↳ Animal Sciences, General. · Dairy Science. |
182 | $27,809 |
| Veterinary Medicine. | 125 | NA |
| Plant Sciences. ↳ Horticultural Science. · Agronomy and Crop Science. |
55 | $33,134 |
| Agricultural Business and Management. ↳ Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations. · Agricultural Economics. |
54 | $43,242 |
| Agricultural Production Operations. ↳ Agricultural Production Operations, General. |
54 | $33,436 |
| Agriculture, General. | 47 | $51,520 |
| Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences. ↳ Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sciences, General. |
25 | NA |
| Food Science and Technology. ↳ Food Science. |
23 | $48,390 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services. ↳ Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General. |
231 | $23,946 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. ↳ Human Development and Family Studies, General. · Adult Development and Aging. |
180 | $28,797 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services. ↳ Business Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences. |
61 | $44,837 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy. ↳ Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General. · Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other. |
148 | $55,619 |
| Forestry. ↳ Forestry, General. · Forest Resources Production and Management. · Forestry, Other. |
124 | $38,479 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management. ↳ Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management. |
71 | $21,497 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. ↳ Environmental Science. |
46 | $40,493 |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management. | 18 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Data Science. ↳ Data Science, General. |
158 | NA |
| Sustainability Studies. | 80 | NA |
| Data Analytics. ↳ Data Analytics, General. · Business Analytics. |
30 | NA |
| Historic Preservation and Conservation. ↳ Historic Preservation and Conservation, General. |
6 | NA |
| Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies. | 6 | NA |
| Human Computer Interaction. | 6 | NA |
| Science, Technology and Society. | 4 | NA |
| MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES. ↳ Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies. |
1 | NA |
| Gerontology. | 1 | NA |
| Behavioral Sciences. | 1 | NA |
| International/Globalization Studies. | 1 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General. | 270 | $26,171 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural Sciences and Technology. ↳ Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology. |
198 | NA |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning. | 33 | $49,661 |
| Landscape Architecture. | 19 | NA |
| Architecture. | 7 | NA |
| Environmental Design. ↳ Environmental Design/Architecture. |
4 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Communication, General. ↳ Speech Communication and Rhetoric. · Communication and Media Studies, Other. |
261 | $36,639 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum and Instruction. | 104 | $47,004 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. ↳ Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other. · Secondary Education and Teaching. · Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching. |
60 | NA |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. ↳ Educational Administration and Supervision, Other. · Higher Education/Higher Education Administration. |
51 | $71,627 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. ↳ Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services. |
22 | NA |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. ↳ Trade and Industrial Teacher Education. · Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other. |
10 | $44,545 |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research. ↳ Educational Statistics and Research Methods. · Learning Sciences. |
6 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry. ↳ Chemistry, General. |
78 | $38,346 |
| Physics. ↳ Physics, General. |
63 | NA |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology. ↳ Meteorology. |
39 | $29,714 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. ↳ Geology/Earth Science, General. |
38 | $25,556 |
| Physical Sciences, Other. | 12 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Public Health. ↳ Public Health, General. |
155 | NA |
| Medicine. | 42 | $58,198 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services. ↳ Dietetics/Dietitian. |
17 | NA |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities. ↳ Bioethics/Medical Ethics. |
1 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Design and Applied Arts. ↳ Interior Design. · Industrial and Product Design. · Design and Visual Communications, General. |
78 | $49,418 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. ↳ Art/Art Studies, General. |
60 | $32,060 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. ↳ Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General. |
27 | NA |
| Music. ↳ Music, General. |
14 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics. ↳ Mathematics, General. |
96 | $52,028 |
| Statistics. ↳ Statistics, General. |
36 | $40,729 |
| Applied Statistics. ↳ Applied Statistics, General. |
9 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Public Administration. ↳ Public Administration. · Transportation and Infrastructure Planning/Studies. |
54 | $59,370 |
| Public Policy Analysis. ↳ Public Policy Analysis, General. |
50 | NA |
| Community Organization and Advocacy. | 2 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature, General. | 88 | $25,442 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. ↳ Creative Writing. · Rhetoric and Composition. |
10 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy. | 61 | NA |
| Religion/Religious Studies. ↳ Religion/Religious Studies, Other. |
13 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services. ↳ Foreign Languages and Literatures, General. |
68 | $33,455 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Security Science and Technology. ↳ Security Science and Technology, General. · Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy. |
57 | NA |
| Homeland Security. ↳ Homeland Security. · Homeland Security, Other. |
4 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| History. ↳ History, General. · Public/Applied History. |
46 | $34,622 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering-Related Fields. ↳ Packaging Science. |
17 | $62,198 |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Communications. ↳ Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects. |
6 | NA |
| Major | Graduates | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies. ↳ Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other. |
1 | NA |
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.