Trying to decide which college major to pursue? There may be a correlation between type of major and the unemployment rate.
Here are 15 of the best college majors as determined by the lowest unemployment rate, according to researchers who analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey, and public data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
- Medical technicians: .9 percent, $43,000
- Special education: 1.3 percent, $35,000
- Industrial engineering: 1.7 percent, $64,000
- Elementary education: 2 percent, $35,000
- General education: 2.2 percent, $36,000
- Early childhood education: 2.3 percent, $31,000
- Civil engineering: 2.3 percent, $56,000
- Nursing: 2.3 percent, $50,000
- General engineering: 2.4 percent, $60,000
- Agriculture: 2.5 percent, $40,000
- Theology and religion: 2.7 percent, $28,000
- Treatment therapy: 2.7 percent, $34,500
- Accounting: 2.8 percent, $48,000
- Architecture: 2.8 percent, $42,000
- Computer engineering: 2.8 percent, $67,000
Most of these majors lead to jobs in professions with a clear career track that is in high demand. If your major is nursing or education, your chances are high that you’ll graduate and find a job quickly as a nurse or teacher, according to the report. The same goes with many forms of engineering.
The report finds that college majors with high unemployment rates are those in the humanities, social sciences and fine arts. Here are 10 majors with the highest unemployment rates, followed by median wage at early career:
- Mass media: 7.4 percent, $35,000
- English language: 6.4 percent, $35,000
- Fine arts: 6.4 percent, $32,000
- Liberal arts: 6.3 percent, $35,000
- Earth sciences: 5.8 percent, $40,000
- Anthropology: 5.7 percent, 30,000
- General social sciences: 5.6 percent, $35,000
- Mathematics: 5.6 percent, $48,000
- Engineering technologies: 5.5 percent, $50,000
- History: 5.5 percent, $36,000
