10 Hottest Majors for Job Seeking College Grads

Matt Ferguson, CEO of Careerbuilder

Which college majors stand to fare better in today’s job market? Which industries and locations are seeing the most growth in entry-level jobs for college-educated workers? New research  shows where the jobs are and what employers are willing to negotiate in job offers for America’s next generation of workers.

“More than half of employers reported they plan to hire recent college graduates this year,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “College students who are graduating in business, technology and health-related majors will have an advantage in terms of the volume of opportunities available today. However, other majors such as liberal arts and sciences are also attractive to employers as they look for individuals with strong communications and critical-thinking skills.”

In-Demand College Majors

In a nationwide online survey of more than 2,000 employers, CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive© asked companies which college majors were most in demand at their firms. Similar to last year, business and technical majors are the most sought after:

1. Business – 31 percent
2. Computer and Information Sciences – 24 percent
3. Engineering – 17 percent
4. Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences – 10 percent
5. Engineering Technologies – 9 percent
6. Math and Statistics – 9 percent
7. Communications Technologies – 7 percent
8. Education – 7 percent
9. Science Technologies – 6 percent
10. Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities – 6 percent

For purposes of this study, an entry-level job requires two years of experience or less and a two- or four-year college degree or equivalent certification.