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Bowdoin College Majors Overview: Salary, Courses & Career Outcomes

Every major at Bowdoin College with graduate salary, course catalog depth, and career preparation data.

#	Major	US Rank	Bowdoin College Salary	National Median	Premium	Degrees/Year	Courses
1	Computer Science	—	$116,250	$75,000	+55%	23	29
Featured Courses: CSCI 2100: Accelerated Data Structures and Advanced Programming I CSCI 2101: Data Structures and Advanced Programming I CSCI 2102: Data Structures and Advanced Programming II CSCI 2200: Algorithms CSCI 2210: Theory of Computation
2	Mathematics & Statistics	—	$96,100	$62,000	+55%	29	41
Featured Courses: MATH 1050: Quantitative Reasoning MATH 1600: Differential Calculus MATH 1610: Emerging Scholars Differential Calculus Workshop MATH 1700: Integral Calculus MATH 1710: Emerging Scholars Integral Calculus Workshop
3	Physical Sciences	—	$74,400	$48,000	+55%	39	117
Featured Courses: CHEM 1020: Water Insecurity: Emerging Threats to a Vital Natural Resource CHEM 1051: How the World Works (through a Scientist’s Eyes) CHEM 1054: Chemistry in Art and Design CHEM 1055: Science of Food and Wine CHEM 1056: Investigations: The Chemistry of Forensics Science
4	Social Sciences	—	$69,750	$45,000	+55%	160	190
Featured Courses: ANTH 1016: Imagining Futures ANTH 1022: Fiction and Fraud in Archaeology: Debunking Modern Myths about Ancient Cultures ANTH 1025: Ties that Bind: The Anthropology of Relatedness ANTH 1029: People Like Us: Class, Identity, and Inequality ANTH 1031: Inscribing Lives: Reading and Writing About Others
5	Biological Sciences	—	$65,100	$42,000	+55%	96	99
Featured Courses: BIOC 2124: Biochemistry and Cell Biology BIOC 2320: Biochemistry BIOC 2330: Biochemistry of Membranes BIOC 2423: Biochemistry of Cellular Processes BIOC 2504: Cellular Signaling
6	History	—	$62,000	$40,000	+55%	19	161
Featured Courses: HIST 1002: Identity Wars: Who Belongs in Early American History? HIST 1003: Maps, Territory, and Power in Asia HIST 1005: Judging History: The Era of the American Revolution HIST 1008: The Science of Solving Crime HIST 1013: The Red World: Socialism as Imagined and Lived in Russia, 1917-1932
7	Area/Ethnic/Cultural Studies	—	$58,900	$38,000	+55%	22	443
Featured Courses: AFRS 1005: Women of Color in Politics AFRS 1010: Deconstructing Racism AFRS 1012: Affirmative Action and United States History AFRS 1026: Freedom Stories AFRS 1048: Black Radical Thinkers and the Caribbean
8	Foreign Languages & Linguistics	—	$58,900	$38,000	+55%	8	74
Featured Courses: ARBC 1101: Elementary Arabic I ARBC 1102: Elementary Arabic II ARBC 2038: The Modern Arabic Novel ARBC 2203: Intermediate Arabic I ARBC 2204: Intermediate Arabic II
9	Philosophy & Religious Studies	—	$58,900	$38,000	+55%	7	119
Featured Courses: PHIL 1026: Utopias and Dystopias PHIL 1031: Ethics and the Embryo PHIL 1036: Personal Ethics PHIL 1037: Race, Society, and Identity Politics PHIL 1040: Personal Identity
10	English Language & Literature	—	$55,800	$36,000	+55%	33	155
Featured Courses: ENGL 1003: Shakespeare's Afterlives ENGL 1004: Film Noir ENGL 1005: Victorian Ghosts and Monsters ENGL 1007: Joan of Arc ENGL 1008: Unhappy Queers
11	Psychology	—	$55,800	$36,000	+55%	26	28
Featured Courses: PSYC 2010: Infant and Child Development PSYC 2012: Educational Psychology PSYC 2025: Psychopathology PSYC 2030: Social Psychology PSYC 2034: Prejudice and Stereotyping
12	Visual & Performing Arts	—	$52,700	$34,000	+55%	13	346
Featured Courses: ARTH 1002: Saints, Monsters, and Marvels: Visualizing the Invisible in Medieval Art ARTH 1004: Ghastly Beauty: Images of Mortality and Their Lessons for Living ARTH 1006: Envisioning Japan: Landscapes, Cityscapes, and Seascapes ARTH 1008: Faked, Forged, Stolen, and Repatriated: Crimes Against Art ARTH 1024: Becoming a Modern Artist

Career Path Match at Bowdoin College 🎖️ DeepColleges Exclusive

How many courses at Bowdoin College align with each career direction. More relevant courses mean better preparation for your target career.

Film & Video Production 80

AFRS 2230: Introduction to African Literature and Film AFRS 3011: African American Film ANTH 2360: Crafting Doubles: Ethnographic Media Production ASNS 1020: Japanese Animation: History, Culture, Society ASNS 1044: Asia Noir: Crime Fiction and Film in East Asia

Music Industry & Production 50

AFRS 2237: Afro-Modern II: Repertory and Performance AFRS 2502: Introduction to Black Performance Studies AFRS 2606: Power of Performance: What We Teach, Learn, and Challenge by Putting our Bodies on Stage AFRS 3215: Portraits of Exile: Identity and Performance in Iberian Culture DANC 1203: Performance and Narrative

Sociology & Anthropology 49

AFRS 2208: Race and Ethnicity AFRS 2840: Africa and Globalization AFRS 3018: Ethnography of American Blackness(es) ANTH 1025: Ties that Bind: The Anthropology of Relatedness ANTH 1100: Introducing Anthropology: What Makes Us Human?

Neuroscience & Brain Research 29

BIOL 1024: Mind the Gap: Bridging Scientific and Creative Writing in the Neurosciences BIOL 1026: Approaches to Neuroscience BIOL 1099: Brains in Motion: Exploring the Interface between Mind and Body BIOL 2135: Neurobiology BIOL 2553: Neurophysiology

International Relations & Diplomacy 26

AFRS 2800: International Relations of Africa ASNS 2872: The Two Koreas and Geopolitics of Northeast Asia ASNS 2921: International Relations in East Asia ASNS 2959: A History of Human Rights ECON 3208: International Trade

Psychology Research (Non-Clinical) 26

AFRS 2821: After Mandela: History, Memory, and Identity in Contemporary South Africa AFRS 3211: Bringing the Female Maroon to Memory:Female Marronnage and Douboutism in French Caribbean Literature ARTH 3305: Memory, Mourning, and the Macabre: Visualizing Death in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe ASNS 2072: History and Memory: China's Cultural Revolution through Film ASNS 2300: Literature of World War II and the Atomic Bomb in Japan: History, Memory, and Empire

Pre-Med / Clinical Medicine 25

ANTH 2220: Medical Anthropology BIOC 2124: Biochemistry and Cell Biology BIOC 2320: Biochemistry BIOC 2330: Biochemistry of Membranes BIOC 2423: Biochemistry of Cellular Processes

Climate & Earth Science 22

BIOL 1090: Understanding Climate Change DCS 2335: GIS and Remote Sensing: Understanding Place DCS 3214: Applied GIS & Remote Sensing EOS 1305: Environmental Geology and Hydrology EOS 2030: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing for Earth Science

Public Policy & Government 19

CLAS 2210: Reacting to Democracy CLAS 2777: From Tyranny to Democracy: Models of Political Freedom in Ancient Greece EDUC 2000: Hip Hop, Joy, and Critical Civic Literacy EDUC 2221: Democracy’s Citadel: Education and Citizenship in America ENVS 2436: Democracy and the Environment in Chile

Marine & Ocean Science 18

BIOL 2311: Coral Reefs in the Anthropocene BIOL 2501: Biological Oceanography BIOL 2571: Biology of Marine Mammals BIOL 3308: Research in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology EOS 1505: Oceanography

Architecture & Spatial Design 15

AFRS 2142: Reconstruction and Reunion AFRS 2621: Reconstruction AFRS 3010: Reconstruction and Realism DANC 4040: Studio ECON 2143: Political Economy of the United States from Revolution to Reconstruction

Economics & Economic Research 15

CSCI 3210: Computational Game Theory ECON 1050: Principles of Microeconomics and Quantitative Reasoning ECON 1101: Principles of Microeconomics ECON 1102: Principles of Macroeconomics ECON 2201: International Economics

Nonprofit & Social Impact 12

ECON 3510: Poverty and Economic Development EDUC 1015: Urban Education and Community Organizing EDUC 2272: Urban Education and Community Organizing ENVS 3910: Food, Agriculture, and Social Justice GSWS 1045: Social Justice Warriors of the Americas

AI / Machine Learning 11

CSCI 2400: Artificial Intelligence CSCI 3465: Financial Machine Learning CSCI 3485: Deep Learning for Computer Vision DCS 2470: Artificial Intelligence in the World DCS 2475: Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Mathematics & Pure Research 10

CSCI 3250: Computational Geometry MATH 2208: Ordinary Differential Equations MATH 2404: Geometry MATH 2502: Number Theory and Cryptography MATH 2601: Combinatorics and Graph Theory

Software Engineering 9

CSCI 2100: Accelerated Data Structures and Advanced Programming I CSCI 2101: Data Structures and Advanced Programming I CSCI 2102: Data Structures and Advanced Programming II CSCI 2200: Algorithms CSCI 2320: Principles of Programming Languages

Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Research 9

CHEM 2250: Organic Chemistry I CHEM 2260: Organic Chemistry II CHEM 2261: Organic Chemistry II with Research Laboratory CHEM 2400: Inorganic Chemistry CHEM 2520: Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy

Education & Teaching 9

ARTH 3835: Visual Literacy in a Digital World DCS 3635: Visual Literacy in a Digital World ECON 1082: Economic Literacy EDUC 2000: Hip Hop, Joy, and Critical Civic Literacy EDUC 2222: Educational Psychology

Linguistics & Translation 9

EOS 2345: Geomorphology: Form and Process at the Earth's Surface ENVS 2270: Geomorphology: Form and Process at the Earth's Surface GER 2262: Not Lost in Translation: German Across the Disciplines GER 3362: Not Lost in Translation: German Across the Disciplines HISP 3260: Mapuche Poetics of Translation

Data Science & Analytics 8

DCS 1209: Using “Big Data” to Investigate and Suggest Solutions to Economic and Social Problems DCS 2850: Introduction to Data Science DCS 3850: Advanced Data Science ECON 1099: Using “Big Data” to Investigate and Suggest Solutions to Economic and Social Problems GOV 2904: Data Literacy and Data Visualization in Political Science

Biotechnology & Genetics 8

BIOC 2124: Biochemistry and Cell Biology BIOL 2112: Genetics and Molecular Biology BIOL 2124: Biochemistry and Cell Biology BIOL 2561: Genetics of Human Disease BIOL 3270: Phylogenetics

Physics & Astrophysics 8

PHYS 2140: Quantum Physics and Relativity PHYS 2260: Nuclear and Particle Physics PHYS 2510: Galaxies and Cosmology PHYS 3000: Methods of Theoretical Physics PHYS 3010: Methods of Experimental Physics

Space Industry & NewSpace 8

DCS 2335: GIS and Remote Sensing: Understanding Place DCS 3214: Applied GIS & Remote Sensing EOS 2030: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing for Earth Science EOS 2550: Satellite Remote Sensing of the Ocean ENVS 2004: GIS and Remote Sensing: Understanding Place

Game Development & Design 7

CSCI 3210: Computational Game Theory CSCI 3735: Playable Media ECON 3305: Game Theory and Strategic Behavior GOV 3022: United States Supreme Court Simulation HIST 2624: Historical Simulations

Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering 6

ANTH 2652: Contemporary Japan: Anthropological Perspectives on “The Lost Decades” ASNS 2652: Contemporary Japan: Anthropological Perspectives on “The Lost Decades” CHEM 2510: Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics EOS 2810: Atmospheric and Ocean Dynamics ENVS 2253: Atmospheric and Ocean Dynamics

Pharmacy & Drug Development 6

BIOL 2510: Neuropharmacology BIOL 3309: Ecotoxicology: Pollution Impacts on Ecosystems and Human Health CHEM 1058: Drug Discovery ENVS 3930: Ecotoxicology: Pollution Impacts on Ecosystems and Human Health GSWS 2170: Chemical Bodies: Gender, Sexuality and Pharmaceutical Science

Pre-Law / Legal Studies 6

AFRS 2240: Creating Change, Getting Free: The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements GOV 2006: Presidents and Civil Rights GOV 2020: Constitutional Law I GOV 2021: Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Liberties GOV 2480: Comparative Constitutional Law

Journalism & Media 6

CINE 1118: Introduction to Media Studies CINE 3321: German Expressionism and Its Legacy DCS 2272: Digital Media and Society ENGL 1118: Introduction to Media Studies GER 1101: Beginning German I: Self-Expression and Cultural Comparison

Real Estate & Development 5

EOS 2340: Human Land Use Change ECON 3521: The Economics of Land Use, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity ECON 3560: Urban Economics ENVS 3921: The Economics of Land Use, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity URBS 3560: Urban Economics

Environmental Engineering 4

EOS 1305: Environmental Geology and Hydrology EOS 2375: Physical Hydrology ENVS 1104: Environmental Geology and Hydrology ENVS 2375: Physical Hydrology

Investment Banking & Finance 4

ECON 2409: Economics of Money, Banking, and Finance ECON 3409: Money, Banking and Financial Markets ECON 3511: Economic Evaluation of Public Programs ECON 3558: Macroeconomic Risk, Forecasting, and Valuation

Mental Health & Clinical Psychology 4

ARTH 3710: Art and Catastrophe: Visual Responses to Trauma PSYC 2725: Laboratory in Clinical Psychology PSYC 3025: Psychotherapy and Behavior Change SOC 2445: Sociology of Mental Health and Illness

Public Health & Epidemiology 3

ANTH 2221: Global Health: Contemporary Issues, Debates, and Perspectives SOC 2250: Social Epidemiology: Lessons of COVID-19 SOC 2430: Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Cybersecurity 2

CSCI 3330: Cybersecurity MATH 2502: Number Theory and Cryptography

Bioinformatics & Computational Biology 2

BIOL 1023: Personal Genomes BIOL 2130: Population Genomics

Chemical & Materials Engineering 2

CHEM 3055: Catalysis in Sustainable Chemical Processes ENVS 3904: Catalysis in Sustainable Chemical Processes

Management Consulting & Strategy 2

CLAS 3306: Leadership, Morality, and the Ancients: The Works of Plutarch GOV 1002: Political Leadership

Actuarial Science & Insurance 2

MATH 2206: Probability MATH 3606: Advanced Topics in Probability and Statistics

Fashion & Luxury Industry 2

DANC 2305: Costume Design for Theater and Dance THTR 2305: Costume Design for Theater and Dance

ESG & Impact Investing 2

ENVS 3908: Private Actors, Public Goods: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Comparative Perspective GOV 3430: Private Actors, Public Goods: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Comparative Perspective

UX / Product Design 1

CSCI 2715: Human-Computer Interaction

Cloud Computing & DevOps 1

CSCI 3325: Distributed Systems

Quantum Computing 1

PHYS 3140: Quantum Mechanics

Biomedical Engineering 1

BIOL 3554: Biomechanics

Electrical & Hardware Engineering 1

PHYS 2130: Electric Fields and Circuits

Entrepreneurship & Startups 1

GER 2203: Intermediate German I: Tradition and Innovation

Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation 1

BIOL 3554: Biomechanics

Highest & Lowest ROI Majors at Bowdoin College

Highest-Earning Majors

Computer Science

$116,250/yr

Mathematics & Statistics

$96,100/yr

Physical Sciences

$74,400/yr

Lowest-Earning Majors

Visual & Performing Arts

$52,700/yr

Psychology

$55,800/yr

English Language & Literature

$55,800/yr

Popular Majors at Bowdoin College

The most popular fields of study, ranked by the number of degrees awarded.

Social Sciences

28.6%

Biological Sciences

15.0%

Ethnic/Cultural Studies

7.0%

Physical Sciences

6.7%

Mathematics/Statistics

6.1%

Best Majors at Bowdoin College →

Bowdoin College Majors FAQs

What are the most popular majors at Bowdoin College?

Bowdoin College's most popular majors by share of degrees awarded are: Social Sciences (28.6%), Biological Sciences (15.0%), Ethnic/Cultural Studies (7.0%). The full ranking by graduate salary is in the table above.

Which major at Bowdoin College pays the most?

The highest-earning major at Bowdoin College is Computer Science, with a median 4-year-out salary of $116,250 — well above the school-wide median of $82,735.

Are some majors at Bowdoin College harder to get into than others?

Yes. Bowdoin College's overall acceptance rate is 8.0%, but selective programs (computer science, business, engineering, nursing) often admit at lower rates than the school-wide average. Check program-specific admission stats where available.

Should I pick my major based on salary at Bowdoin College?

Salary should be one factor, not the only one. Major choice impacts earnings (engineering and CS typically lead) but career fit, course interest, and graduation-rate within the major also matter. The salary table above shows the median pay by program at Bowdoin College.