Report: The Economic Value of College Majors

Posted by Georgetown University on August 21, 2017

REPORT ON THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF 171 COLLEGE MAJORS LINKS COLLEGE MAJORS TO EARNINGS
Students’ choice of Majors is just as important as decision to get Bachelor’s Degree

On average, Bachelor’s degrees pay off. But a new study confirms that some undergraduate majors pay off a lot more than others. In fact, the difference in earnings potential between one major and another can be more than 300 percent.

Using Census data available for the first time, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the
Workforce is helping Americans connect the dots between college majors and career earnings. In the new report, What’s it Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors, this first-time research demonstrates just how critical the choice of major is to a student’s median earnings.

“The bottom line is that getting a degree matters, but what you take matters more,” said Anthony P. Carnevale, the Center’s director. The new report analyses 171 majors in 15 categories. It tracks earnings by majors and provides key break outs on questions of race/ethnicity and the gender differences in earnings. The report finds that majors are highly segregated by race/ethnicity and gender, with few exceptions. White men are concentrated in the highest-earning majors, while women tend to be concentrated in the lowest-earning majors.

https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/whats-it-worth-the-economic-value-of-college-majors/