Quad

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Psychology, General (10% of graduates). 18 students for every faculty member, more than at 83% of colleges. 54% of faculty are full-time. Spends $6,787 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

2,954 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 41% of graduates; 40 programs in 20 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Psychology, General 42.01019.7% 287
    Graduates in this field earn $48,234 4 years out
  2. Accounting 52.03018.5% 252
    Graduates in this field earn $67,499 4 years out
  3. Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 43.01048.3% 244
    Graduates in this field earn $53,589 4 years out
  4. Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General 30.00007.7% 227
  5. Business/Commerce, General 52.01017.1% 209
    Graduates in this field earn $59,188 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Education, 0.0% → 6.4% of graduates since 2014–15 (190 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. Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians$112,244 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $68,144

    4 years after completion$112,244
    National median: $83,742Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 23 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Insurance$98,510 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$98,510
    National median: $88,472Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 34 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Computer and Information Sciences, General$72,528 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $56,475

    4 years after completion$72,528
    National median: $92,374Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $79,162 · Non-Pell: Too few graduates to report(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $15,830 · 216 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Business Administration, Management and Operations$69,712 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $53,764

    4 years after completion$69,712
    National median: $68,257About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $58,683 · Non-Pell: $72,781(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $21,875 · 529 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Accounting and Related Services$67,499 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $54,128

    4 years after completion$67,499
    National median: $76,194Below typical

    4 years out, Pell: $58,782 · Non-Pell: $70,717(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $19,750 · 523 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 college18 to 1
18 to 1
← Fewer students per facultymore students per faculty member than 83% 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.

Class sizes

30%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 1% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–91147%
10–1937423%
20–2953833%
30–3944327%
40–491519%
50–99231%
100+00%

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

  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Teacher certification
  • Weekend college
  • Study abroad
  • Undergraduate research

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

Full-time faculty54%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$84,452

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$6,787
$6,787
← Lessmore than 11% of 557More →
Endowment per student$5,989
$5,989
← Lessmore than 23% 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;University of Houston-Downtown Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;University of Houston-Downtown Common Data Set 2023–24, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)