What college majors offer students the best job opportunities?
Granted, your major should be something that interests you. But with the high cost of education, there’s probably a little voice in the back of your head or a not so little voice that is coming out of your parents’ mouth that is saying, “Is this major going to help me get a job when I graduate?”
When you take into account both the Median Income and the % of Unemployment, what major do you think would be at the top of this list?
If you said, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering – you were right! That major offers a median annual income of $90,000 with only 1.7% of undergraduates being unemployed.
Actuarial Science ($81,000 and 0% unemployement) and Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences & Administration ($108,000 and 3.2% unemployment) also rank high.
As a rule, all kinds of jobs in Engineering rank high on this list. From Geological to petroluem to mechanical and nuclear engineering.
What might surprise you is that Public Policy jobs and and Nursing also rank high. Granted the salaries aren’t as high as some engineering jobs but the unemployment rate is low.
Best College Majors for Jobs
If you’re only in high school, you might be thinking that it’s too soon to worry about choosing a college major. Wrong. Thanks to that spot on the Common Application, that asks, “major” – this decision might be made sooner than you think.
Juliet Giglio
Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant
Most Marketable College Majors

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Jared Hobson
Jared serves as President of Great College Advice, where he sets strategic direction for the firm as well as being involved in sales & marketing and college consulting. Jared has an MBA from Cornell University, where he served on its Student Admissions Committee. His consulting philosophy emphasizes personalized attention to help identify the right college fit for each student.
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