Most Employable Degrees For Higher Chances of Getting Hired After Graduation

With the rising university education costs, more students are looking for schools with the most employable degrees. A recent study discovered that students who finished a bachelor’s degree in mathematics have the highest chances of getting a job after graduation. It is followed by chemistry, history, and music. 

What are the Most Employable College Degrees? 

While college graduates are more employable than their high school counterparts, the choice of degree and foremost is a significant factor in being hired. According to a new study by ProWritingAid, a bachelor’s degree in mathematics gives students the highest chance of getting hired after graduation. Chemistry, history, and music are the most employable degrees. The study was based nationwide on the US Department of Education and college degree programs. 

However, employability is not the same as earning potential. 

“Typically, graduates are challenged with choosing between a safe degree with a guaranteed job or a degree that will give them better earning opportunities in the future,” a ProWritingAid spokesperson noted. 

Significant Findings of the Study

• Among mathematics majors, graduates from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore were the highest paid on their first job. They earned a median salary of $70,019 in the first year and $101,777 by their third year after graduation.
• Alternatively, the highest-paid chemistry graduates came from public colleges and universities. 
• A bachelor’s degree in chemistry graduate from San Francisco State University can get an average salary of $60,594 three years after graduating.
• Meanwhile, for history majors, Rice University in Houston provides the highest-earning career, with an average salary of $61,295 three years after graduation.
• At Stephen F. Austin State University, Music graduates experienced the highest median salaries, $45,138. It is followed by West Texas A&M University and North Dakota State University. 

In terms of best-paying majors, the top ten areas of study are all related to engineering. The information is based on the New York Federal Reserve’s recent college graduate salaries report.

A separate study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers discovered that computer science graduates are likely to be the highest paid. They are earning an average of $75,900, followed by engineering graduates. 

The Least and Most-Regretted College Majors

ZipRecruiter jobs marketplace also surveyed the impact of job satisfaction and stress among new graduates. Previous students who focused on computer science, business, engineering, and health administration felt the most satisfied with their choice of concentration.

College students who studied English, education, communications, law, and biological sciences said they regretted taking the program the most. According to ZipRecruiter, this is based on a survey of more than 5,000 college graduates.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, more students questioned the value of a college degree. They also wondered if a four-year program was worth it, given the sky-high costs and student loan debt. 

The College Transparency Act aims to make it easier for families to measure the return on investment. The Act also considers how a college degree translates to job opportunities and salaries down the road. 

Meanwhile, many private groups like The Princeton Review have also come up with their process for ranking schools based on the following:

• Value
• Cost (including tuition, room, and board)
• Academic offerings
•  Career placement services
• Graduation rates
• Alumni Salary
• Overall student debt

Employability Versus Earning Potential

Based on the overall ranking of the most employable degrees in America, it is given that medical degrees live up to their expectations. Surprisingly, legal and architecture degrees fall below the first 100 positions. Only one out of three graduates in legal- and architecture-related fields got a job during the first year after graduation. The finding of the studies mentioned above shows that there’s a gap between employment chances and earning prospects. 

It turned out that most graduates are perplexed about the better option. They are caught between choosing a safe degree with high employability or a degree that can earn them a decent salary within a few years.