Popular College Majors

What majors are high school students likely to select?

Mar 4, 2007

Many college sophomores are still undecided about their major field of study. Students have strength areas and that is a place to start.

Favorite Classes

If a student has consistently liked science throughout school, a science field would probably be a good area to study. If math is a strength area, math may be a field of focus. There are always new careers popping up in math and science.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

This guide is in every high school library or school counselor's office and lists the outlook on a career. Some have a 20% anticipated growth and others have a -2% growth -- not growing at all. Obviously, students want to select a career or area that is growing.

10 Most Likely Areas

High school students are likely to select a college major from the following ten areas. Many sources predict similar lists. This one happens to be Encarta's. Caution: These most popular majors are not necessarily the best paying. Nor are they guaranteed to be in a shortage area in the job market. This is merely a list of what students are selecting for majors.

Business. Students should have an interest in accounting, management, finance, marketing, and human resources. While receiving a business degree is good, receiving an M.B.A. may be even better. There is more chance for promotion with an advanced degree.
Psychology. Studying people and their behaviors is always a fascinating topic and a popular one. If behavior is fascinating to you, then you may want to consider studying this further. But, this degree is almost useless unless you go on to get a Master's or a PhD.
Elementary Education. There is a shortage in some teaching areas but elementary education is not one of them. Instead of choosing a general field like elementary education, students would be better advised to select Special Education or Reading Specialist.
Biology. Whether you are interested in trees, microbes or medicine, this field is wide open. Genetics, biotechnology, and medical research are fields to consider if there is an interest in biology. Many move on to become biochemists, environmentalists, optometrists or veterinarians.
Nursing. Our population is growing and aging. There are jobs in hospitals, schools, corporations, military, nursing homes and clinics. And, since many nurses work 24 hours a day, the need is for three shifts a day and not only one. Not only can it be physically demanding, the academics are also challenging.
Education. High school education is reaching a crises in many areas of the country. Shortage areas are math, sciences, foreign language, music and industrial arts. It is common for schools to hire a foreign teacher to teach a foreign language. Other areas to consider in education are speech pathology, guidance counselor, and administrator.
English. English is one of those fields with unlimited options. English majors often enter the fields of journalism, reporting, advertising, public relations, author, teaching, or even lawyers after law school. If it is connected to communication, English majors may apply.
Communications. Influencing human behavior is communication. Whether it is through advertising, government, or media, it is communication. Public relations, human resources and business are but a few areas for communications.
Computer Science. Who would have thought that a high school student would be taking a notebook computer home for homework that the school issued? In addition to schools, computers are needed in robotics, language recognition programs, business applications, medicine and outer space.
Political Science. This is a broad major that will require an area of concentration. Some choices are voting behavior, public policy, statistics, campaigns, diplomat, or lobbying.

While deciding where to attend, see if the area of interest is a "popular" major at the college. Popular majors at a college or university usually result in more professors and more opportunities.

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