There is a key difference

between the "competitiveness of a major" and "the undergraduate education" if you are interested in your children's college education.  The larger a graduate program (# of students, faculty, research fundings, publications, etc.) the better such ranking tends to be.  But that has little to do with an undergraduate education.  A school's financial strength, endowment specifically, has a bigger impact on the undergraduate.  Don't belittle UVA among ANY public schools.