Difference between revisions of "Worst College Majors"

Revision as of 21:39, November 8, 2011

The worst college majors are fields of study that leave the student with relatively few job opportunities and often a distorted or ultra-liberal view of the world. Students incur an average debt in excess of $25,000 for attending college, and these college majors can leave such students without the ability to pay off their loans, which are typically not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

We encourage college students and employers to improve this list over time.

Majors

1. Women's studies,^[1][2][3] sometimes included as part of "gender studies"^[4]
2. Secularism^[5]
3. LGBT studies^[6][7]
4. Film^[8]
5. Puppetry
6. English Literature/Literary Criticism
7. Music Therapy^[8]
8. Dance^[8]
9. Interior Design^[9]
10. Art History^[9]
11. Comic Book Art
12. Surfing Studies
13. Golf Management – University of Birmingham / Florida Gulf Coast University
14. Communications
15. Evolutionary biology
16. Architecture ^[10]
17. Degrees leading to careers in investment banking and corporate work^[11]
18. Journalism ^[12]
19. Psychology^[8]
20. Fashion Design
21. Theater^[8]
22. Horticulture^[9]
23. Human Resources^[9]
24. Photography^[8]
25. Video game design^[13]
26. Forestry/Range Management/Wildlife Management
27. Environmental Studies
28. Outdoor Recreation
29. Fine Art^[14][9]
30. Astronomy
31. Anthropology
32. Sociology
33. History of Music

Courses

1. Football Culture
2. Queer Musicology – UCLA
3. The Science of Harry Potter – Frostburg University ^[15]
4. Native American Feminism - University of Michigan
5. Cyber Feminism - Cornell University
6. Feminist New Black Man - Occidental College ^[16]
7. Philosophy and Star Trek – Georgetown University in Washington ^[17]
8. Emotional Literacy^[18]
9. Media Genres, the study of zombies - University of Baltimore ^[19]
10. The Science of Superheroes - UC Irvine ^[20]
11. Field Equipment Operation (tractor driving) - UC Davis
12. Hip Hop: The Politics of Culture - UC San Diego
13. History of Surfing - UC Santa Barbara
14. Labor Studies - UM Saint Louis & UM Kansas City ^[21]
15. Arguing with Judge Judy - UC Berkeley
16. Self-Esteem - Cal State Fresno
17. Gaga for Lady Gaga: Sex, Gender, and Identity- University of Virginia-Charlottesville^[22]
18. Pilot Brewery (brewmaster) - UC Davis
19. Search for Extraterrestial Intelligence - UC Berkeley
20. Ecology of Renewable Natural Resources - Texas Tech University ^[23]

External Links

• What's It Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors - Comprehensive report at Georgetown University website
• Best and Worst College Majors
• Top 10 Useless College Degrees & Classes
• College majors with lowest unemployment

References

1. ↑ "Women’s studies ... is disappearing from British universities. ... Students have begun to realise, too, that women’s studies is useless for getting you a job. It’s no coincidence that the subject’s collapse coincided with the introduction of tuition fees. The moment you start paying for something is the moment you consider whether it’s really worthwhile." [1]
2. ↑ http://www.boundless.org/2000/features/a0000225.html
3. ↑ http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/why-is-gender-studies-dominated-by-one-gender-1.289830
4. ↑ http://www.whitman.edu/content/genderstudies
5. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/us/08secular.html
6. ↑ http://www.yale.edu/lgbts/
7. ↑ http://www.lgbts.umd.edu/
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5} What's It Worth? Georgetown University, July 2011
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4} 20 Worst-Paying College Degrees in 2010 Yahoo! Finance, 08/12/2010
10. ↑ http://www.foxbusiness.com/slideshow/personal-finance/2010/06/28/worst-fields-graduates/#slide=5
11. ↑ http://www.foxbusiness.com/slideshow/personal-finance/2010/06/28/worst-fields-graduates/#slide=3
12. ↑ http://www.foxbusiness.com/slideshow/personal-finance/2010/06/28/worst-fields-graduates/#slide=4
13. ↑ One observer noted that not even the video game industry typically hires people who majored in video game design.
14. ↑ http://www.artcareer.net/faqs/job-market-outlook-for-artists-and-designers/
15. ↑ CBS News: Harry Potter Goes To College: Professor Uses Boy Wizard To Explores Links Between Magic, Science, by Bootie Cosgrove-Mather, Sept. 26, 2003 [2] ...Frostburg State President Catherine R. Gira said she isn't worried that some may view a Harry Potter class as trivial. "Irrespective of the specific title of the course, the 'magic' in the fiction is being analyzed by applying concepts of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering. This honors course creatively packages scientific principles in a contemporary way that will interest today's students," Gira said.
16. ↑ Jason Mattera At CPAC, YouTube
17. ↑ Georgetown University Course Listing
18. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1076368/Schools-councils-waste-300-000-useless-emotional-literacy-course-faraway-island-sun.html
19. ↑ College Course Preps Pupils for Zombie Apocalypse, AOL News, September 9, 2010
20. ↑ The Top 8 California Schools that Are, Like, Totally Wasting Your Money, NewsRealBlog, November 14, 2010
21. ↑ Video: College Course Teaches Violent Union Tactics, The Hot Joints, April 25, 2011
22. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/10/lady-gaga-college-class_n_712540.html
23. ↑ Texas Tech University Course Listing