The 12 Most Popular College Majors - 2025 - 国产第一福利影院草草

The 12 Most Popular College Majors – 2025

March 3, 2025

Each year, approximately two million students graduate with their bachelor’s degrees, and the bulk of these degrees are conferred across just 12 areas of academic concentration. In fact, the top three have held steady for the past decade. In addition to being popular, many of the majors on this list are incredibly versatile鈥攕tudents build a flexible skill set and can enter a wide range of well-paying careers. The most popular college majors are also highly accessible, available across the country at private and public colleges alike. Let鈥檚 dig right in!

What Are the Most Popular College Majors in the United States?

To determine the most popular college majors, we relied on the , as their numbers are collected and analyzed by the federal government. Accordingly, we’ve cited the most recent figures (2021-22) for each major below.

Salary and job growth data have been sourced from the Bureau for Labor Statistics. Please note that median salary numbers are based on the field as a whole; specific occupations and specialties within each field may lead to higher or lower salaries.

1) Business

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 375,418
Median Salary: $71,000

Business is by far the most popular college major in the U.S. today, and has held the top position for many years. In fact, the last time that business was not the most popular major in the nation was way back in 1975, when education held the top spot.

Types of degrees:

Marketing
Finance
Accounting
Entrepreneurship
International Business

2) Health Professions

Nursing is the most common major within the umbrella category of health professions. College majors in these areas have never been more popular. Over the last decade, the number of health profession majors has nearly doubled.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 263,765
Median Salary: $70,000

Types of degrees:

Nursing
Speech Pathology
Music Therapy
Public Health
Occupational Therapy

搁别濒补迟别诲:听Best Colleges for Nursing

3) Social Sciences & History

Although the number of degree-seekers in the social sciences fluctuated significantly in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, it has remained fairly constant since the early 2000s. However, even though these college majors are the third-most popular, the number of degrees conferred dropped about 6% from 2021 to 2022 and is the lowest since 2000.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 151,109
Median Salary: $70,000

Types of degrees:

History
Sociology
Anthropology
Economics
Political Science

4) Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Like with engineering, the number of biology degrees earned has skyrocketed in recent decades. To further quantify this, the figure has more than doubled since 2000 and has held quite steady since 2021.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 131,462
Median Salary: $71,000

Types of degrees:

Biology
Molecular Biology
Microbiology
Biochemistry

搁别濒补迟别诲:听Best Colleges for Biochemistry, Best Colleges for Biology

5) Psychology

One of the more consistently popular college majors over the last decade-plus, psychology attracts an ever-increasing number of American college students each year. While those seeking to become counselors and psychologists will require advanced degrees, many enter alternative professions. For example, some with psychology degrees enter sales, business, healthcare, and management, among others.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 129,609
Median Salary: $55,000

Types of degrees:

Psychology
Industrial Psychology
Clinical Psychology

Related: Best Colleges for Psychology

6) Engineering

Over three times as many American teens elected to major in engineering in 2022 compared to 50 years ago. That said, although the number of engineering degrees awarded by U.S. colleges has risen steadily since the turn of millennium, it has dropped about 4% in recent years.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 123,017
Median Salary: $100,000

Types of degrees:

Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

7) Computer and Information Sciences

Unsurprisingly, given the rise of computing in recent decades, the number of computer science degrees conferred in 2020 was 40 times higher than the figure in 1970 and almost 4 times the number in 1990. Now one of the most popular college majors in the nation, computer science shows no sign of slowing down as massive job growth is expected in this sector over the next decade.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 108,503
Median Salary: $95,000

Types of degrees:

Computer Science
Information Sciences

8) Visual & Performing Arts

No matter what trends and fads come and go in the wider world, we will always need artists of all kinds. Therefore, it is not shocking that the number of degrees issued in areas such as film, art, drama, dance, and music have remained quite steady over time.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 90,241
Median Salary: $50,000

Types of degrees:

Studio Art
Dance
Music
Drama
Film

搁别濒补迟别诲:听Best Colleges for Studio Art, Best Colleges for Dance, Best Colleges for Drama/Acting, Best Colleges for Film, Best Colleges for Music, Best Colleges for Musical Theater

9) Education

With all of the most popular college majors we鈥檝e looked at thus far, there has either been massive growth or rock-solid stability in recent decades. Education is our first exception to that rule. Incredibly, the number of education degrees earned each year by American college students today is half of what it was 50 years ago. This has led to a massive teacher shortage in the country.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 89,410
Median Salary: $52,000

Types of degrees:

General Education
Elementary Education
Special Education
Early Childhood Education

Related: Best Colleges for Education

10) Communication/Journalism

While the field of journalism has changed massively with the advent of the internet and social media, the volume of students wanting to enter the profession has not. For more than two decades, comparable numbers of young people have earned degrees in the field on an annual basis.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 86,043
Median Salary: $60,000

Types of degrees:

Journalism
Communications
Advertising and Public Relations

11) Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting

As the barriers to entry have risen in law enforcement/security fields, so have the number of individuals pursuing them. The number of degrees earned in this academic discipline rose after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01 and have been relatively stable ever since.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 56,901
Median Salary: $60,000

Types of degrees:

Criminal Justice
Homeland Security

12) Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology

Narrowly edging out multi/interdisciplinary studies for the twelfth most popular college major, this eclectic grouping of academic disciplines encompasses everything from forestry to exercise science. Altogether, these disparate fields have collectively attracted between 42,000 and 54,000 degree-seekers over the last decade.

Number of bachelor鈥檚 degrees conferred: 53,776
Median Salary: $54,000

Types of degrees:

Forestry
Kinesiology
Hospitality & Recreation

搁别濒补迟别诲:听Best Colleges for Forestry, Best Colleges for Hospitality Management, Best Colleges for Kinesiology & Exercise Science

Most Popular College Majors 鈥� Final Thoughts

Interested in pursuing one of the most popular college majors? You’ll be in good company. That said, don’t feel like you have to choose a major now. For most students, unless they’re applying directly to a聽highly competitive major like business, engineering, or computer science, being 鈥渦ndecided鈥� upon entering college is an excellent place to be. After exploring coursework in a wide array of disciplines as an underclassman, you’ll be in a better, more informed position to choose a major…whether it’s one of the most popular majors or not.

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College Success

Dave Bergman

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).