The Five Most Significant Ten-Year Trends In College Majors

Based on the most recent data available, as summarized in the U.S. Department of Education’s 2022 Condition of Education, here are five of the more remarkable trends and figures in the number and nature of Bachelor’s degrees awarded over the past ten years:

1. The number of undergraduates earning a Bachelor’s Degree has increased substantially and the demography of recipients is changing

2. The ten most popular fields of study

3. The majors that lost the most

4. The majors that gained the most

5. The rise of STEM Degrees

Of the 2.0 million bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2019–20, 58% were concentrated in just six fields of study:

1. business

2. health professions and related programs

3. social sciences and history

4. engineering

5. biological and biomedical sciences

6. psychology

The next largest percentages of bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2019–20 were in the following fields:

1. computer and information sciences and support services

2. visual and performing arts

3. communication, journalism, and related programs

4. education

The ten-year changes in awarded Bachelor’s degrees reveal a pronounced migration to more applied, job-related, skills-based curricula, a trend that’s consistent with multiple national surveys showing that getting a good job is the number one reason students cite for going to college.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/07/24/the-five-most-significant-ten-year-trends-in-college-majors/?sh=94d9e35350f0 to learn more.