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null - A new analysis reveals shifts in college major popularity, underscoring broader trends in education, employment and economic pressures.
The study, conducted by Student Choice, analyzed more than 121,000 undergraduate student loan applications from 2015 to 2023.
The findings, published last month, show which college majors have risen and fallen in prominence, offering insights into the evolving landscape of higher education.
Education declines amid teacher pay gap, workforce shortages
Education majors saw a decline, with the number of applications nearly halving over the past seven years.
Education slipped from third to fourth place in its top-ten ranking, now falling behind psychology.
Student walks near Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA on April 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
According to Student Choice, the findings are consistent with the National Center for Education Statistics, which also found a sharp decrease in bachelor’s degrees in education over the last few decades.
Experts blame the teacher pay gap, wherein the weekly wages of teachers have not kept pace with other college graduates.
Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago, the National Education Association (NEA) said in April 2024.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers also earned 32.9% less in average weekly wages compared to other college grads in 2021.
The field of communications also experienced a decline, with applications dropping from 9th place in the 2017-2019 period to 12th today.
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Experts say this decrease is attributed to a challenging job market and stagnant wages. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual wage of $57,000 for communications graduates, below the average for all fields.
Nursing Emerges as a High-Demand Major
While business remains the most popular college major, nursing showed a notable increase in applications, reflecting a high demand for healthcare professionals.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% growth in nursing jobs from 2022 to 2032, with a median annual wage of $86,070.
Experts say the robust job prospects and competitive salaries have made nursing a highly sought-after field.
Most popular college majors
- Business
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Education
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
- Computer Science
- Health Professions
- Accounting
- Engineering
See full results here.
Overall Decline in College Enrollment
Despite these findings, the analysis revealed a broader trend of decreasing college enrollment.
Pew Research reported a 1.2 million decline in college enrollment among 18-to-24-year-olds from 2011 to 2022. Some estimate that these numbers could also decrease again in 2025 due to declining birth rates.
However, recent data suggests a slight shift, with undergraduate enrollment increasing by 1.2% in Fall 2023 and 2.5% in Spring 2024.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown consistently that there is a sharp increase in median wage for those with four-year higher education degrees compared to those without, and fewer years of unemployment.