Students who want to get the most monetary value out of their college education may want to brush up on their math and science skills.
That, at least, is a lesson that can be drawn from a new ranking of the most valuable college degrees in the nation by Bankrate.com.
The consumer finance website looked at bachelor's degree holders in 162 college majors—only majors with labor forces of at least 15,000 people—and ranked them by weighing three factors: median income (70%), unemployment rate (20%) and percentage of poeple with an advanced degree (10%).
Bankrate said an obvious trend was revealed after the final numbers were tabulated.
"Grads with degrees in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—typically earn much more and are less likely to be unemployed," Bankrate said.
Degrees focused on the arts, meanwhile, crowded the bottom of the ranking. A degree in drama and the theater arts, for example, provided graduates with a median income of only $35,500 and showed an unemployment rate of 5.2%.
Yet the report warned that students shouldn't pick a major solely based on income and unemployment rate, and should instead try to find a major that's a good fit for their goals and interests.
“The more hands-on experience you get, the more employable you are regardless of what education you get,” Kate Culligan, a career strategist and performance coach based in Denver, said in the report. “Employers look at your skills.”
The following were Bankrate's top 10 most valuable college degrees:
10. Materials Science
Median Income: $90,000
Unemploment Rate: 2.0%
Advanced Degrees: 66%
8. (tie) Electrical Engineering Technology
Median Income: $76,000
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Advanced Degrees: 30%
8. (tie) Computer Engineering
Median Income: $92,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Advanced Degrees: 40%
7. Aerospace Engineering
Median Income: $90,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Advanced Degrees: 49%
6. Architectural Engineering
Median Income: $74,000
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%
Advanced Degrees: 29%
5. Electrical Engineering
Median Income: $99,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Advanced Degrees: 46%
4. Genetics
Median Income: $85,000
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
Advanced Degrees: 76%
3. Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences And Administration
Median Income: $100,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Advanced Degrees: 58%
2. Nuclear Engineering
Median Income: $98,100
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Advanced Degrees: 56%
1. Naval Architecture And Marine Engineering
Median Income: $90,000
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Advanced Degrees: 29%
The full report can be viewed here.
