It’s your first semester in college; the sooner you enroll the better. Deciding on a major is sometimes difficult, here is a list of the top 10 majors along with the top three useful and employable majors to aide in your decision. College students tend to base their decisions on where to attend largely on the financial aspect.
Academic Adviser
Around the world, high school seniors are struggling to decide on a major. It’s an extremely difficult decision; one that will affect the rest of your life. One of the best resources that you can use is your selected college’s Academic Advising and Outreach Center.
The academic advisor will sit down with you within the first year while you still have less than 24 credits to help you decide on a major. (Can we, maybe, tie this in with. These advisors also help with your transitioning to becoming a college student. I highly recommend that you build a relationship with your academic advisor because they will not only assist you in finding a major but will also help you set long-term life goals.
Academic advisors also called college counselors are better equipped than anyone on campus to help you with anything that may arise. Your academic advisor will help create a worth while college experience. They will give you custom-made advice based on your needs. They will also help keep you on track with your courses as you go throughout your college years.
Choosing a Major
College is overwhelming, I know you’re asking, ‘Why do I have to choose a major?’. Relax, your first year will be covered with required Freshman classes. Your process of selecting a major should take time. It’s not a decision you should make lightly.
First, you should consider your interests, job skills and abilities. The next thing you should consider is future employability; what field is project to grow and hire the most graduates. Then, you should consider your future potential income; don’t plan on a future that will only pay you what it cost for you education.
Still not sure about your future major. Go out and work in the field that you desire to major in. Shadow or interview someone who works in this field; get the highs and lows from them. Study the field; read books, articles and do your own research. Most of all, be real with yourself. Being realistic will keep you from making poor decisions about your future.
Top 10 Majors
I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 majors according to The Princeton Review to aide in making your decision easier.
| University of Texas at Austin Top 10 Majors | Avg. Cost of Tuition | Average Grades (GPA) | Acceptance Rates (%) |
| Business Management | $10,398-Instate $36,744-Outstate | 3.15 | 65.8 |
| Engineering | $13,000-Instate $25,000-Outstate | 3.19 | 65.8 |
| Journalism | $10,779-Instate $32,550-Outstate | 3.11 | 65.8 |
| Accounting | $10,025-Instate $26,795-Outstate | 2.90 | 65.8 |
| Special Education | $16,070-Instate $25,620-Outstate | 2.95 | 65.8 |
| Health Disciplines | $5,07-Instate $9,940-Outstate | 3.36 | 65.8 |
| Law | $9,461-Instate $28,182-Outstate | 2.98 | 65.8 |
| Chemistry | $6,927-Instate $11,395-Outstate | 2.78 | 65.8 |
| Kinesiology | $11,489-Instate $35,158-Outstate | 3.10 | 65.8 |
| Biology | $4,477-Instate $25,694-Outstate | 3.02 | 65.8 |
| Texas A&M University Top 10 Majors | Avg. Cost of Tuition | Average Grades (GPA) | Acceptance Rates (%) |
| Computer Science | $8,184-Instate $28,544-Outstate | 3.15 | 65.8 |
| Communications | $13,000-Instate $25,000-Outstate | 3.19 | 65.8 |
| Government/Political Science | $10,779-Instate $32,550-Outstate | 3.11 | 65.8 |
| Business | $10,025-Instate $26,795-Outstate | 2.90 | 65.8 |
| Economics | $16,070-Instate $25,620-Outstate | 2.95 | 65.8 |
| English Language & Literature | $5,07-Instate $9,940-Outstate | 3.36 | 65.8 |
| Psychology | $9,461-Instate $28,182-Outstate | 2.98 | 65.8 |
| Nursing | $6,927-Instate $11,395-Outstate | 2.78 | 65.8 |
| Chemical Engineering | $11,489-Instate $35,158-Outstate | 3.10 | 65.8 |
| Biology | $4,477-Instate $25,694-Outstate | 3.02 | 65.8 |
| University of Houston Top 10 Majors | Avg. Cost of Tuition | Average Grades (GPA) | Acceptance Rates (%) |
| Computer Science | $8,184-Instate $28,544-Outstate | 3.15 | 65.8 |
| Communications | $13,000-Instate $25,000-Outstate | 3.19 | 65.8 |
| Government/Political Science | $10,779-Instate $32,550-Outstate | 3.11 | 65.8 |
| Business | $10,025-Instate $26,795-Outstate | 2.90 | 65.8 |
| Economics | $16,070-Instate $25,620-Outstate | 2.95 | 65.8 |
| English Language & Literature | $5,07-Instate $9,940-Outstate | 3.36 | 65.8 |
| Psychology | $9,461-Instate $28,182-Outstate | 2.98 | 65.8 |
| Nursing | $6,927-Instate $11,395-Outstate | 2.78 | 65.8 |
| Chemical Engineering | $11,489-Instate $35,158-Outstate | 3.10 | 65.8 |
| Biology | $4,477-Instate $25,694-Outstate | 3.02 | 65.8 |
| Rice University Top 10 Majors | Avg. Cost of Tuition | Average Grades (GPA) | Acceptance Rates (%) |
| Computer Science | $8,184-Instate $28,544-Outstate | 3.15 | 65.8 |
| Communications | $13,000-Instate $25,000-Outstate | 3.19 | 65.8 |
| Government/Political Science | $10,779-Instate $32,550-Outstate | 3.11 | 65.8 |
| Business | $10,025-Instate $26,795-Outstate | 2.90 | 65.8 |
| Economics | $16,070-Instate $25,620-Outstate | 2.95 | 65.8 |
| English Language & Literature | $5,07-Instate $9,940-Outstate | 3.36 | 65.8 |
| Psychology | $9,461-Instate $28,182-Outstate | 2.98 | 65.8 |
| Nursing | $6,927-Instate $11,395-Outstate | 2.78 | 65.8 |
| Chemical Engineering | $11,489-Instate $35,158-Outstate | 3.10 | 65.8 |
| Biology | $4,477-Instate $25,694-Outstate | 3.02 | 65.8 |
| Prairie View A&M University Top 10 Majors | Avg. Cost of Tuition | Average Grades (GPA) | Acceptance Rates (%) |
| Computer Science | $8,184-Instate $28,544-Outstate | 3.15 | 65.8 |
| Communications | $13,000-Instate $25,000-Outstate | 3.19 | 65.8 |
| Government/Political Science | $10,779-Instate $32,550-Outstate | 3.11 | 65.8 |
| Business | $10,025-Instate $26,795-Outstate | 2.90 | 65.8 |
| Economics | $16,070-Instate $25,620 Outstate | 2.95 | 65.8 |
| English Language & Literature | $5,07-Instate $9,940-Outstate | 3.36 | 65.8 |
| Psychology | $9,461-Instate $28,182-Outstate | 2.98 | 65.8 |
| Nursing | $6,927-Instate $11,395-Outstate | 2.78 | 65.8 |
| Chemical Engineering | $11,489-Instate $35,158-Outstate | 3.10 | 65.8 |
| Biology | $4,477-Instate $25,694-Outstate | 3.02 | 65.8 |
Acceptance Rates
Do keep in mind, acceptance rates are decreasing because there are more people applying to colleges. With colleges becoming more and more competitive, the top reason acceptance rates are dropping is because college students are sending out more and more applications. However, they will only enroll in one college.
Another statistic affecting the acceptance rate is cost. A lot of applicants will end up choosing a college based on the cost of tuition. This leans heavily on the financial side of being able to afford a college’s cost. (tie in with future Tuition blog-not written yet) Which is why most college students will choose an Instate college rather than moving Out of State. (tie this in with a future blog of choosing a location-not written yet)
Useful Majors
There are useful majors and there are useless majors. Useless majors are the ones where it’s harder to find employment after you’ve paid for your degree. It does seem a bit unfair that not everyone can be what they want. However, we do get a college degree in order to go to work and make money.
Useful majors are the ones that are most likely to pay off. We all want to be hired after we’ve spent a ton of money getting a degree. The top three useful majors are Medical Science, Business Management, and Computer Science.
Medical Science reigns in at the top major showing a strong need for doctors in this world. Out of this field, the top paying job was for a biochemist or a biophysicist. In 2016, a first-year biochemist earned a median income of $93,000 per year. However, in 2016 only 31,500 people were employed in this field with a small projected job growth of 11%.
Business Management comes in at number two showing a strong need for marketing and management. The top paying job in this field is a chief executive. A first-year chief executive earned a median income of $194,350. But, on the lower more realistic side, they earned an income of $70,000. This field has a projected job growth of 13.5%.
Computer Science comes in at number three showing a strong need for video gamers. The top paying job in this field is a software development director. Their average income in 2018 was $157,000. This field has a projected job growth of 25.6%.
The job market was flooded in 2017 with 14 million graduates. Now, I should mention that there are valuable majors. These valuable majors will likely find you a job quickly and are likely to earn you more money. The top three most valuable majors are in the medical field; medicine and dentistry, veterinarian science, and allied subjects to medicine. All three of the majors have an employability rate of 95% or higher.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistic, in 2020 a few of the fastest growing jobs will be biomedical engineer at 61.7%; veterinarian technologist and assistants at 52%; and physical therapists at 45.7%.
Career Searching
Are you searching for the best, most appropriate career for you? There are all kinds of free online career aptitude tests. These tests could lead you in the right direction.
Knowledge leads to a more successful career. For this reason, you should utilize these free assessments. Otherwise, you could end up like so many people who change jobs. Thirty years ago, the last time the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics took a survey, people between the ages of 18 to 38 changed employment 10 times. I urge you to take advantage of this aide.
As a high school student, I started my career by taking vocational technician classes. I enrolled in computer programming and accounting. Only to find that my passion was actually in education. I didn’t, however, switch employment that many times. It’s a live and learn kind of thing. No, looking back, I wouldn’t have followed any test results. Back then, I loved programming and accounting. Although, I don’t use the programming skills anymore (they have changed drastically over time); I do however use the accounting skills all the time.
Here is a list of the Top 5 career aptitude test that are available online and are free:
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator – This career test is recognized as the most effective for understanding yourself which will help lead you to seek a job based on your personality and characteristics.
- Keirsey Temperament Sorter – This career test is based more on our temperament. With four basic personality types and roughly 70 questions, this test can offer critical insight based on what we do or say.
- John Holland’s SDS Test – This career test is based more on your life interest and activities that you like to do. This 87-question test will identify your top three personality traits.
- MyPlan.com – This career test is based more on your values and skills. This can help you by providing a broad guidance.
- MyNextMove – This test rates your task interests to determine your real work interests.
Keep in mind, these test results are merely suggestions. Used as a tool, they will save you a lot of job hopping. Employers look for steadfast people who are determined and consistent. Unless you are interested in becoming a contractor, have a look at one of our sister sites recruitersreport.com to find out more!