It is always challenging to choose a most popular majors in the US, so we usually look for the most popular ones or the highest paying jobs. This list of the top 10 most popular majors in the US and is based on students’ average yearly graduation rates from specific courses. They have maintained high popularity over the years due to their versatility and preparation for satisfying career paths.
Business Administration and Management
In our ranking of the most popular majors in the US, business administration and management take the top spot with over 180000 graduations yearly.
A degree in business administration and management prepares you to master the intricacies of problem-solving within a business and helps you succeed in working with others.
Graduates work in various positions, including various managerial positions and business support positions such as business analysts and logisticians.
The average salary of someone with a degree in business administration starts from $42000, with an average mid-career salary of $71000.
The best universities for this degree include the University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California-Berkeley.
Nursing, one of the most Popular Majors in US
Graduates in nursing studies come in a close second in the list of top ten most popular majors in the US with just under 155000 yearly graduates.
If you like to work with people and want to make a difference in their lives on the front lines of healthcare, a career in nursing may be rewarding for you.
You specialize in many areas within the nursing profession, including anesthetists, instructors, practitioners, and midwives.
Nursing majors study chemistry, anatomy, psychology, and physiology and work in hospitals, doctors’ offices, nursing homes, and government health departments.
A nursing course prepares students for nursing administration, nursing research, and clinical nursing.
The top universities in the US for nursing include New York University, Drexel University, and Molloy College. Nurses’ salaries start at just over $53000 and an average mid-career salary of $71000.
Liberal Arts and General Studies
Consider getting a general studies or liberal arts degree if you are unsure what to do after graduation. Research has shown that graduates with a university degree earn more on average than someone without a degree.
- General Studies incorporates the study of the arts, the sciences, and the humanities; you may take recognition in each.
- Liberal Arts and Sciences is a structured mixture of the arts, biological and physical sciences, humanities, social sciences, emphasizing breadth of study.
With over 140000 graduations per year, liberal arts continues to be one of the most popular majors worldwide.
Students graduating from general studies courses can expect an average salary of $37000 and an average mid-career salary of $62000.
Top liberal arts universities include New York University, Georgetown University, and Cornell University.
General Psychology, one of the most Popular University Majors
The always-popular psychology major is coming in at the fourth spot with more than 116000 graduates per year. A general psychology degree opens doors for you to find social work, marketing, and human resources jobs.
If you like to get into a clinical setting, you need to continue your education to get your doctorate or master’s degree.
A psychology university major examines the science of human behavior and mental processes. It includes the study of the mind, the brain, and human and animal social interactions.
The significance touches on many different areas of psychology like social, cognitive, abnormal, personality, and developmental.
The average salary for someone with a general psychology degree starts from $35000, with an average mid-career salary of just over $60000.
Top schools for a psychology degree include Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington University in St Louis.
General Biology
Whether you are interested in studying large life forms or microscopic life, a degree in biology can prepare you for a career in and out of the lab.
A degree in general biology allows you to spend hands-on time studying life. Biology teachers, science technicians, and forensic scientists are all possible careers for graduates from this popular major.
With additional education, biology students can become medical or veterinary professionals. Over 78000 students graduate each year with a general biology degree.
Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University are top-ranked biology schools.
General Biology graduates may expect an average salary of $38000 and an average mid-career salary of $59000.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
It takes a particular person to work in the criminal justice and corrections fields. It would help if you enjoyed working with people and with any individual, whether lawyers, judges, or criminals; interpersonal skills are essential.
With more than 72000 graduations yearly, criminal justice is a trendy area of study. The criminal justice or corrections course lets you start a job in law enforcement, corrections, security services, or forensics.
A criminal justice degree is an excellent degree if you want to work in safety and security. Criminal justice degrees are typically not reading or writing intensive, making them more accessible than other majors.
The average starting salary is $36000, with an average mid-career salary of just under $60000. Top-ranked schools for criminal justice include George Washington University, George Mason University, and SUNY at Albany.
Communications
Graduates from communications and media courses have great opportunities for finding jobs in the growing field.
Communication majors study mass media, technical communications, and advertising. They learn to write press releases, long-form articles, and technical documents.
Students strengthen their writing and communication skills in a communication program to prepare them for careers in growing industries.
This studies field will likely continue to grow as new media takes on new forms and people create new ways of communication.
Graduates from communications see an average early career salary of $37000 and an average mid-career salary of nearly $65000.
About 55000 students graduate yearly with communications majors from top schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Southern California, and Northwestern University.
Accounting, one of the most Popular University Majors
Students with strong attention to detail and a knack for mathematics could consider a career in accounting.
Depending on your studies, you may get a Bachelor of Business Administration or a Bachelor of Science in accounting. Schools may also have different titles for accounting majors, such as accounting, accountancy, financial management, and accounting technology.
Accountants work with numerical validities and help companies create and manage budgets, perform financial forecasting and handle incoming and outgoing payments. Around 60000 students graduate with a university degree in accounting each year.
Accounting college majors can expect a yearly salary of $44000 and an average mid-career salary of $75000. Top accounting schools include Bentley University, the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, and Bryant University.
Teacher Education
Do you like to work with kids or adults and want to make a difference in their lives? An education in teaching could be a rewarding fit for you. This university major is for students who want to teach at more than one educational level.
Students usually take a combined program to teach two age groups, preschool plus elementary school or middle school plus high school.
We all have a teacher we can reflect on and respect what they have done for us. It could be your best chance to make a big difference. Salary for teachers varies significantly on the district you teach in, the type of teaching you do, and your level of education.
If you love educating kids but are starting to feel burnt out from teaching, know many other rewarding jobs in education will take you outside of the classroom. Consider these options:
- School Librarian: Although it will take further education, some teachers become school librarians. Library science is a popular field, and you can still work with kids without having all the supervision and after-hours work required of a typical teaching job.
- School Counselors: School counselors or guidance counselors help students in many ways, and they too aren’t in the day-to-day classroom. Again, you’ll need extra training, but school counseling is another option if you want to remain in this course and help students in other ways.
- Administrator: Consider a job in education administration if you want to stay in this field but don’t want typical classroom responsibilities.
- Curriculum Design: School communities need trained educators to enhance the quality of education for their students. Curriculum experts, school effectiveness specialists, and learning coaches lead teacher training, observe teachers, and make recommendations to improve their teaching.
- Substitute Teacher: A substitute teacher can decide where and when to work. It won’t work in a state where you’re not licensed; however, you will have the flexibility of working in school communities other than your own. You don’t have all the primary duties of full-time teachers who manage their classrooms.
About 57000 students graduate with an education in teaching primary per year. Famous universities include Ashford University, Grand Canyon University, and Kaplan University, Davenport Campus.
Read also : Best Engineering Universities in USA
English Language and Literature
Last but not least, in the top ten most popular majors in the US. A general program focusing on the English language includes history, structure, related communications skills, and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples.
While a far cry from the 180000 graduates in business administration, there are about 40000 English graduates per year.
English graduates can expect careers heavy in writing and the language arts, such as novelists, scriptwriters, technical writers, or teaching with extra education.
Early career salaries are around $36000, with an average mid-career salary of $63000. Top schools for English majors include Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Washington, Seattle Campus.
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