Financial education company Bankrate recently determined the most valuable college majors based on the most recent data from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Using weighted data, the August 2019 study determined the employment and unemployment rates and incomes for graduates for their first year out of college across 162 majors. (Each of the majors included in the study employed at least 15,000 people.) It also considered the number of college graduates who held an advanced degree.
The 10 most valuable majors were all in STEM fields, with engineering concentrations dominating seven of those spots. The median income for all degree holders observed in the study, across all 162 majors, was $55,000, and the average unemployment rate was 2.8%.
Below, see the college majors that have proven to be the most valuable to students post-graduation.
25. Health and Medical Preparatory Programs
24. Mathematics and Computer Science
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23. Finance
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22. Miscellaneous Engineering Technologies
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21. Chemical Engineering
20. Civil Engineering
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/flickr
19. Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
18. Computer Science
17. Management Information Systems and Statistics
16. Mechanical Engineering
T15. Transportation Sciences and Technologies
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T15. Construction Services
Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York/flickr
13. Applied Mathematics
University of the Fraser Valley/flickr
12. General Engineering
11. Engineering and Industrial Management
10. Materials Science
UC Davis College of Engineering/Flickr
9. Electrical Engineering Technology
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8. Computer Engineering
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7. Aerospace Engineering
6. Architectural Engineering
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5. Electrical Engineering
4. Genetics
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3. Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
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2. Nuclear Engineering
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1. Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
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