By Jacob Golomb ’16

It is winter time and seniors are waiting for college admission decisions and thinking about their educational futures. As they consider their options for college studies, they also must consider how their educational choices will benefit their job prospects. With a variety of fields to choose from, students are faced with the decision of what to study. Here are some of the most popular majors that students choose to specialize in:

Business

Students studying business take classes including finance, marketing, sales, advertising and more related areas to learn skills to successfully run and manage businesses. With most entry-level jobs in business only requiring a bachelor’s degree, the average starting salary for recent business major graduates is around $37,000.

Psychology

Studying the human mind and behavior, psychology majors go into a variety of fields after graduation from college. Those who want to become psychologists or counselors further their education in graduate school, while others decide to pursue entry-level jobs in other areas such as education or human resources. Unfortunately, psychology majors have an above-average unemployment rate with around 9 percent of recent graduates unable to find a job.

Nursing

Important members of the healthcare industry, nursing majors learn to provide care and assistance to patients. The vast majority of nursing jobs require a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), while certain advanced nursing specialties require a Master’s degree or Doctorate in nursing. A consistently in-demand job, BSN graduates have one of the highest average starting salaries at around $50,000 and employment opportunities for nurses are projected to grow faster than average in the next decade.

Education

Education majors learn child psychology, curriculum development and other related skills to become teachers. These future educators gain hands-on professional experience during college by being student-teachers at schools for a semester. Students can specialize in one of the different fields of education including elementary, secondary, and special education. Those wanting to teach a certain subject for high school can major in that subject and complete the coursework to become a certified teacher. Many education majors pursue graduate degrees in education for higher salary and job security, as well as enhanced teaching skills.

Biology

Biology, which is the broad topic of the study of life, offers an equally diverse range of career paths for students. Though many think of biology majors as being pre-medical, they also go into many other fields such as zoology, science journalism, marine biology, dentistry, biotechnology, teaching, and research. Many biology majors develop scientific skills in college interning at hospitals, labs, and other research facilities. While many jobs in the field of biology require graduate or professional education, biology majors can get entry-level jobs as lab assistants, nutritionists, and educators.