Quad
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend CollegeErie, PA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Mechanical Engineering (11% of graduates). 12 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 59% of colleges. 78% of faculty are full-time. Spends $4,725 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

600 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 36% of graduates; 38 programs in 18 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Mechanical Engineering 14.190111% 65
  2. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01017.2% 43
  3. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 51.38996.5% 39
  4. Finance, General 52.08016.2% 37
  5. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 52.13995.0% 30

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 1.5% → 4.7% of graduates since 2014–15 (28 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 .

Students per faculty member vs. every college12 to 1
12 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 59% 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 faculty78%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$93,362

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 private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$4,725
$4,725
← Lessmore than 11% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$24,122
$24,122
← Lessmore than 39% of 1,065More →

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)