Thinking about college? Factor in the future value of your diploma based on your major.
Main point: “Graduates entering the workforce with good career prospects and high starting salaries are the most satisfied with their major.”
More about it:
- “Some experts say the value of a bachelor’s degree is fading and more emphasis should be directed toward career training.”
- “A growing number of companies, including many in tech, are also dropping degree requirements for many middle-skill and even higher-skill roles.”
- “Students who pursue a major specifically in science, technology, engineering and math — collectively known as STEM disciplines — are projected to earn the most overall.”
- “…health and business majors are among the highest-paying, leading to average annual wages that are higher at the entry level and significantly greater over the course of a career compared with liberal arts and humanities majors.”
- Most regretted (ranked in order of greatest regret):
- Journalism
- Sociology
- Liberal arts/general studies
- Communications
- Marketing management and research
- Medical/clinical assisting
- Political science and government
- Biology
- English language and literature
Why it matters:
- “When you are barely managing to pay your bills, your paycheck might become more important.”
- “Of graduates who regretted their major, most said that, if they could go back, they would now choose computer science or business administration instead.”