College students’ choice of majors can set them on a path toward rewarding and lucrative careers. Though a career may not be foremost on the minds of students as they graduate high school and inch closer to the start of college, choice of major merits consideration, even among students who have yet to receive their high school diplomas.
Many college students enroll in school as undeclared, while others may pick a major without realizing what it requires and which career path it might set them on. That might explain why it’s so common for college students to switch majors. Though data indicating how many students switch majors is somewhat dated, one study from the U.S. Department of Education indicated about one in five students changed their majors at least once while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. With that in mind, students may want to consider some popular majors as they try to determine which path to take in college.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than half of the 2.1 million bachelor’s degrees awarded at United States colleges and universities in the 2020-21 school year were concentrated in six fields of study. In addition, the NCES reports that the following are the six most popular degrees from that academic year.
- Business: Almost one in five bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2020-21 were in the field of business.
- Health professions: This field accounted for 13 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2020-21. Common specializations include health sciences, health care administration, nursing, and sports medicine.
- Social sciences and history: NCES data indicates nearly one in 10 students majored in a social science in 2020-21. This includes specializations such as history, political science and sociology.
- Engineering: Demand for engineers is expected to rise in the coming decades, and that should bode well for the 126,000 students who earned bachelor’s degrees in engineering in 2020-21.
- Biological and biomedical sciences: Bachelor’s degrees awarded in biological and biomedical sciences increased by 46 percent between the 2010-11 and 2020-21 school years.
- Psychology: NCES data indicates degrees in psychology accounted for 6 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2020-21.
Choice of major is a significant decision for college students. Students are urged to discuss potential majors with their parents as they seek to lay the foundation for their professional futures.
