Top College Majors That Lead to Career Success

When it comes to post-secondary education, many families are wondering what major and college would best align with a successful career. According to LinkedIn, the top 50 universities associated with long-term career success in the U.S. include Princeton University, Boston College, and the University of California, Berkeley, to name few. Across these colleges’ top majors there seems to be a trend of high-impact college majors. 

High-Impact Majors

The top majors follow a rising interdisciplinary trend that focuses on applied and industry-relevant fields. As highlighted in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fastest growing careers include healthcare practitioners (nurse practitioners, physicians assistants to name a couple), data and security analysts, and renewable energy jobs. As such, the majors that align with these fields are as follows:

• • Healthcare 
    • Public Health 
    • Biology
    • Health Policy 
    • Neuroscience
    • Psychology
    • Cognitive Science

• Data 

• • • Data Science
    • Information Science 
    • Statistics and Applied Statistics
    • Applied Mathematics
    • Quantitative Economics

• Security 

• • • Cybersecurity
    • Computer Engineering
    • Artificial Intelligence

• Renewable Energy

• • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Science
  • Environmental Studies
  • Civil Engineering
  • Urban Studies

What Next?

What does this mean for students who are interested in other fields? Does that mean only students who major in these areas are successful? The data shows that these majors are most aligned with successful occupations, but students stand out through hands-on activities like internships, work studies, and applied learning outside the classroom. This could mean prioritizing co-ops like those offered at Northeastern and the Rochester Institute of Technology which provide students necessary skills that are directly transferable to industry. Regardless, university and major are only components to the bigger success picture. 

Key Takeaways

• The fastest growing careers include healthcare practitioners (nurse practitioners, physicians assistants to name a couple), data and security analysts, and renewable energy jobs. 
• The top majors are those that directly align with these fields. 
• However, hands-on experience is just as important as a major because they teach readily transferable skills to the job market.

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