UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara Majors
UC Santa Barbara awards bachelor's degrees in 49 fields, about 7,054 a year. The largest are Economics, Sociology, Research and Experimental Psychology.
| Major | Degrees a year | Earnings, 1 year out | Earnings, 4 years out | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 696 | $66,334 | $98,178 | $13,516 |
| Sociology | 692 | $34,372 | $60,013 | $13,500 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 650 | $34,431 | $66,171 | $15,000 |
| Communications | 620 | $46,598 | $72,976 | $13,018 |
| Biology | 391 | $33,486 | $64,520 | $14,586 |
| Statistics | 355 | $55,110 | $90,778 | $17,500 |
| Environmental Science and Conservation | 338 | $33,759 | $63,628 | $16,533 |
| Political Science | 322 | $39,404 | $70,384 | $16,485 |
| English Language and Literature | 184 | $24,099 | $59,334 | $17,550 |
| Applied Mathematics | 184 | $59,638 | $109,360 | $17,000 |
| Physics | 183 | $53,597 | $85,219 | $15,982 |
| Film and Photography | 174 | $28,608 | $49,893 | $15,000 |
| Computer Science | 162 | $107,776 | $149,190 | $11,000 |
| History | 159 | $29,749 | $59,342 | $14,500 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 143 | $33,553 | $66,127 | $14,792 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 125 | $27,629 | $61,580 | $14,100 |
| Mathematics | 123 | $46,447 | $85,391 | $17,000 |
| Studio Art | 122 | $46,428 | $16,978 | |
| Anthropology | 121 | $31,420 | $56,238 | $19,500 |
| Chemistry | 114 | $47,197 | $74,713 | $15,805 |
| Philosophy | 108 | $25,303 | $71,796 | $15,000 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 95 | $32,341 | $59,004 | $13,500 |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 83 | $29,258 | $50,694 | $12,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 82 | $81,108 | $104,336 | $15,908 |
| Geography and Cartography | 81 | $37,398 | $67,521 | $13,750 |
| Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 74 | $49,100 | $90,694 | $9,500 |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 62 | $39,421 | $98,462 | $14,500 |
| Romance Languages | 60 | $35,635 | $68,496 | $16,261 |
| Computer Engineering | 58 | $91,387 | $144,703 | $14,410 |
| Electrical Engineering | 58 | $117,215 | $15,571 | |
| Geology and Earth Science | 54 | $30,759 | $66,788 | $21,800 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | 49 | $38,333 | $19,000 | |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 49 | $42,634 | $90,061 | $16,500 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 47 | $66,099 | $96,078 | $11,128 |
| Chemical Engineering | 41 | $79,737 | $113,317 | $14,937 |
| Music | 34 | $33,825 | ||
| Theater | 33 | $20,503 | $44,106 | $16,852 |
| Area Studies | 27 | $59,042 | $22,697 | |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 26 | $37,633 | $53,727 | |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 20 | $19,911 | $43,377 | $15,873 |
| Dance | 19 | $44,858 | ||
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 12 | |||
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 8 | |||
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 7 | |||
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 5 | |||
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 1 | |||
| Liberal Arts | 1 | |||
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | 1 | |||
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 1 |
A blank cell means the figure is withheld, usually because the program is small.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular majors at UC Santa Barbara?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: Economics (696), Sociology (692), Research and Experimental Psychology (650), Communications (620), Biology (391).
Which UC Santa Barbara majors earn the most?
Four years after graduation, the highest median earnings are in Computer Science ($149,190), Computer Engineering ($144,703), Electrical Engineering ($117,215), Chemical Engineering ($113,317), Applied Mathematics ($109,360). Earnings are reported for 40 of UC Santa Barbara's 49 programs.
How many majors does UC Santa Barbara have?
UC Santa Barbara awarded bachelor's degrees in 49 federal program categories in the most recent year reported. A college's own list of majors can be longer or shorter, because several named majors often fall under one federal category.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release. Programs are federal categories, which do not always match the names UC Santa Barbara uses. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, four years after a bachelor's degree, and are withheld for small programs.
