Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Early Childhood Education and Teaching (8% of graduates). 16 students for every faculty member, more than at 72% of colleges. 75% of faculty are full-time. Spends $8,718 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

2,186 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 26% of graduates; 120 programs in 23 fields awarded at least one.

Early Childhood Education and Teaching 13.12107.7% 169
Graduates in this field earn $49,677 4 years out
Community Organization and Advocacy 44.02015.7% 124
Graduates in this field earn $58,344 4 years out
Psychology, General 42.01015.6% 123
Graduates in this field earn $53,422 4 years out
Marketing/Marketing Management, General 52.14013.8% 84
Graduates in this field earn $75,661 4 years out
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 31.05053.5% 77
Graduates in this field earn $57,771 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Visual and performing arts, 2.3% → 5.2% of graduates since 2014–15 (114 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

Management Information Systems and Services$95,721 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $68,088
4 years after completion$95,721
National median: $83,290Above typical
4 years out, Pell: $83,949 · Non-Pell: $82,912(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $26,500 · 91 graduates, two most recent years combined
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$91,542 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $71,457
4 years after completion$91,542
National median: $100,647Below typical
Median federal debt: $28,500 · 31 graduates, two most recent years combined
Computer Science$89,216 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $74,135
4 years after completion$89,216
National median: $107,009Below typical
4 years out, Pell: $91,239 · Non-Pell: $76,711(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $26,000 · 108 graduates, two most recent years combined
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician$86,839 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report
4 years after completion$86,839
National median: $93,843Below typical
Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 0 graduates, two most recent years combined
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians$86,472 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $64,284
4 years after completion$86,472
National median: $82,073Above typical
4 years out, Pell: $72,900 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $28,000 · 36 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 →

The college also reports 16.6 to 1 in its Common Data Set.

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

Class sizes

46%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 4% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section

Undergraduate class sections by number of students
Students	sections	Share
2–9	187	15%
10–19	391	31%
20–29	350	28%
30–39	207	17%
40–49	56	4%
50–99	45	4%
100+	9	1%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

Accelerated program
Distance learning
Double major
Dual enrollment
English as a Second Language
Honors program
Independent study
Internships
Student-designed major
Teacher certification
Study abroad
Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in arts, English composition, humanities, intensive writing, math, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty75%

National median: 67%Above typical

Average faculty salary

$96,194

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$8,718

$8,718

← Lessmore than 27% of 557More →

Endowment per student$20,379

$20,379

← Lessmore than 70% 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;Central Michigan University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Central Michigan University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)