Quad
California State Polytechnic University-HumboldtArcata, CA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (9% of graduates). 16 students for every faculty member, more than at 72% of colleges. 52% of faculty are full-time. Spends $18,064 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,248 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 31% of graduates; 55 programs in 25 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.01018.7% 109
    Graduates in this field earn $45,889 4 years out
  2. Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management 03.06016.2% 77
    Graduates in this field earn $47,003 4 years out
  3. Environmental Science 03.01045.8% 73
    Graduates in this field earn $50,915 4 years out
  4. Forestry, General 03.05015.5% 69
    Graduates in this field earn $79,849 4 years out
  5. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01015.2% 65
    Graduates in this field earn $55,707 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Natural resources, 17% → 22% of graduates since 2014–15 (271 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Forestry$79,849 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $52,810

    4 years after completion$79,849
    National median: $58,784Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $51,548 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $21,000 · 78 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$78,225 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $55,589

    4 years after completion$78,225
    National median: $81,171About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $71,009 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $25,000 · 87 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Computer Science$74,620 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $37,153

    4 years after completion$74,620
    National median: $107,009Below typical

    Median federal debt: $17,625 · 70 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Economics$61,175 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$61,175
    National median: $82,686Below typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 20 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Business Administration, Management and Operations$60,005 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $36,586

    4 years after completion$60,005
    National median: $68,257Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $49,615 · Non-Pell: $54,905(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $15,448 · 201 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college16 to 1
16 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 72% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty52%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$107,006

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$18,064
$18,064
← Lessmore than 86% of 557More →
Endowment per student$7,018
$7,018
← Lessmore than 27% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)