Most popular college and university majors for students in the United States

Here’s a clear, practical snapshot of what students in the United States actually study—and where they land right after graduation. Big public employers sit next to tech, healthcare, finance, media, and advanced manufacturing. Campus recruiting is a machine. Start early, show real work, and keep your story simple: I learned X, I built Y, it delivered Z.

Below are the 20 most popular majors you’ll see across the U.S., with plain-English notes on the jobs new grads step into—even when the role isn’t a perfect match to the major.

• Business / Management
  Operations coordinator, account manager, customer success, sales development, project coordinator; rotational “leadership” programs in retail, logistics, and tech are common.
• Accounting
  Audit and tax associate, staff accountant, AR/AP, payroll, compliance; every industry hires because closing the books never goes out of style.
• Finance
  FP&A analyst, commercial banking, credit risk, investment operations, insurance underwriting; fintech adds product and data roles.
• Economics
  Policy or research assistant, consulting analyst, banking and insurance analyst, market research, strategy and biz-ops; lots pivot into data.
• Marketing
  Brand and product marketing, performance marketing, social/content, CRM/lifecycle; early wins come from campaigns with measurable lift.
• Computer Science / Software Engineering
  Junior software engineer, QA, SRE/DevOps assistant, product analyst; hot spots include SaaS, fintech, health tech, e-commerce, and govtech.
• Data Science / Statistics / Applied Math
  Data analyst, junior data scientist, risk/pricing analyst, analytics engineer; SQL plus a little Python gets you in the door.
• Engineering (Mechanical)
  Manufacturing/process, quality, maintenance, and product development in aerospace, automotive, med-tech, and robotics.
• Engineering (Electrical / Computer / Electronics)
  Power and building systems, embedded/controls, hardware test, renewables and EV infrastructure; field work builds experience fast.
• Civil / Infrastructure Engineering
  Site/field engineer, transportation or water engineer, construction management; public agencies and design-build firms hire year-round.
• Nursing
  Hospital, community health, primary care, mental health, and eldercare; consistent demand and clear clinical ladders.
• Health Sciences / Public Health
  Epidemiology assistant, program coordinator, health data roles, community outreach; hospitals, NGOs, and payers all hire.
• Biological / Biomedical Sciences
  Lab tech, clinical research coordinator, bioprocess manufacturing, QA/RA for devices and pharma; many shift to technical sales or apps support.
• Chemistry / Materials
  Analytical chemistry, quality, coatings and batteries, process roles in consumer goods and clean-tech manufacturing.
• Psychology
  HR, recruiting, organizational development, UX research, case management; communication and empathy travel well.
• Education / Teacher Preparation
  K-12 teaching, special education, student services; ed-tech, assessment, and corporate L&D for those who prefer non-classroom roles.
• Communications / Journalism / Media
  PR, social, content, internal comms, copywriting, creator partnerships; portfolios with outcomes beat clever taglines.
• Criminal Justice / Criminology
  Corrections and probation, law enforcement, security/risk, compliance, investigations; many pivot into insurance SIU or corporate security.
• Mathematics
  Data and risk analysis, actuarial pathways, ops research, analytics engineering; strong bridge into software with light CS coursework.
• Environmental Science / Sustainability
  Environmental officer, remediation tech, ESG analyst, climate adaptation roles with municipalities, utilities, and consultancies.

A few U.S.-specific tips to turn this into action:

• Recruiting runs on a clock. Fall is prime time for summer internships and many full-time roles. Build a simple tracker and treat applications like a pipeline: target list, dates, follow-ups, outcomes.
• Co-ops and internships compound. One real project that moved a number beats five generic club positions. Show the artifact: repo, dashboard, brief, case study, before-and-after metrics.
• Government is a real career. Federal, state, and local teams hire grads for digital, analytics, infrastructure, health, and procurement. Benefits are strong; the work is mission-driven.
• Location matters (but less than it used to). Tech and media cluster on the coasts; finance in NYC/Charlotte; aerospace in the South and West; energy in Texas; biotech in Boston/SF; logistics everywhere. Remote creates options—still, proximity helps early on.
• ATS proofing is basic hygiene. Mirror the job’s language in your resume (skills, tools, certifications), keep formatting clean, and lead bullets with outcomes: “Cut processing time 32%,” “Grew sign-ups 18%,” “Reduced defects 23%.”
• Portfolio > promises. Even for non-tech roles, a tidy Google Drive or site with three short case studies—problem, actions, result—wins interviews.

Bottom line: pick a program that helps you think clearly, build useful things, and communicate results. Stack internships and projects that prove you can deliver. Aim at the U.S. sectors with momentum—digital services, healthcare, infrastructure, energy transition, finance, and advanced manufacturing—and let your early wins compound. Your major is the starting block. Your habits and outcomes carry you across the finish lines that matter.