Which college degrees can land you a job in 2024?
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As the academic school year approaches, many incoming and college students are grappling with what major they would like to pursue.
Factors such as job opportunity, salary, quality of life and work-life balance are sure to be factors for students who remain undecided.
A study by UTS Online has compiled a list of the most employable and unemployable degrees in the United States.
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"Landing a job after graduation can be challenging in today's increasingly competitive job market," researchers said. ". While a college degree boosts your chances of landing a good job and earning more money (bachelor's graduates earn 80% more than high school graduates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), the potential of each degree varies greatly."
What are the most employable degrees in the US
Researchers said industrial engineering ranks as the most employable degree. The industry has the lowest unemployment rate at only 0.2% and high graduate satisfaction, with only 16% of graduates reporting regrets.
For the second spot, construction services and medical technicians, their degrees are both tied. Both industries have the second-lowest unemployment rate at a mere 0.4%.
General social sciences rounded out the top three employable degrees with a low unemployment rate of 0.6%. However, researchers said the field ranks high on "most regretted majors" lists, with 29% of graduates reporting regrets. Researchers believe this is probably due to the "broadness of the field, potentially making specific jobs difficult to land without further education or specialization."
What are the most unemployable degrees in the US
Of the degrees surveyed, art history has the highest unemployment rate on this list (8%). Researchers believe this is due to the competitive nature of the field and the demand for additional education or experience to get a job.
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Liberal arts and fine arts degrees do a little better but still have a high unemployment rate of 7.9%
Aerospace engineering landed third from the bottom with an unemployment rate at 7.8%.
Here's the ranking of the most employable degrees:
- Industrial Engineering
- Construction Services/Medical Technicians
- General Social Sciences
- Nursing
- General Education/Elementary Education/Mechanical Engineering
- Animal and Plant Sciences/Secondary Education
- Accounting
- Civil Engineering/Earth Sciences/Geography/Early Childhood Education
- Chemical Engineering
- Health Services/Miscellaneous Engineering
- Information Systems & Management/Public Policy and Law
- Miscellaneous Education/Treatment Therapy/Engineering Technologies/Business Analytics
- Finance
- Chemistry/General Business/Criminal Justice/Advertising and Public Relations
- Electrical Engineering
- Marketing
- Family and Consumer Sciences/General Engineering
- Theology and Religion/Biochemistry/Business Management/Special Education
- Architecture
- Pharmacy/BiologyMathematics/Foreign Language
This story was reported from Los Angeles.