As was posted previously, though the categories were a bit peculiar, the numbers showed that only 6% of college graduates majored in engineering. The data is a few years old but its quite notable, IMO.
Here’s a table of #s by majors listed by IPEDS (also not updated since 2022)
When we went to admitted students day, we spoke to a couple of the engineering professors. They told us that the amount of engineering students recently quadrupled (small sample size because their engineering dept is small compared to their peers).
They attributed it to AI and students switching from CS to engineering.
If the department is small, a smaller number of students can certainly enlarge the % of students in the major. Did they also add different types of engineering to their department? What year was this?
What is really sad, and trying not to tiptoe into politics, are the number of students no longer majoring in Public Health.
It was at Brown’s admitted students day last month. Brown doesnt have a large engineering dept. I can’t remember the exact numbers but they said they had 4x the students move to engineering (cant remember if it was mechanical, electrical, etc or overall) and they suspected a large pct of those students were CS majors.
I think students who chose CS because of job opportunities will stay in practical fields and not move to art history even if they love art.
Isnt that one of the reasons some colleges admit by major because too many want to study business, CS, engineering, etc.
Sorry - I took the more students are pursuing education for critical thinking skills as a fact you were making.
And that your opinion was that it’s good.
So i was referencing the first part. If it was all opinion, I misread. My apologies.
The problem, of course, is that what conventional wisdom holds to be the most practical majors aren’t always the most practical majors in, well, practice.
Yes. Kids are just playing the odds given what’s known at the time. There are always stories of business majors who cant get jobs because there are too many business majors.
What people really want to say is: If you’re a below average business student, CS student, engineering student with no real internships, no campus leadership/activities, and inability to network or communicate effectively in an interview, your job prospects probably arent good.
And to add to this fine post- one person’s practical is often based on a serious misconception.
Majoring in Criminal Justice is not a fast track to a legal career as a federal prosecutor.
Majoring in Forensic Science does not help you become a medical examiner in most states.
Majoring in Sports Management does not prepare you to negotiate contracts on behalf of the NFL.
Majoring in Travel and Tourism will not give you the fast track to run operations for a large airline.
Majoring in International Justice will not get you hired as a prosecutor at the Hague (without the right law school, prosecutorial experience after undergrad).
Etc.
I have neighbors who are currently grinding away over their 2025 grad who studied Mass Communications and is still frantically trying to find that first job (made worse by the reality that he’s now competing with the 2026 grads). Someone in our town just got hired as an Assistant Producer at a well known network and this family cannot stop fuming. The young woman majored in History (history! as if that helps when you are covering the news of the day! Who needs history?) and minored in Poli Sci (“she’s never even learned how to edit film”). The notion that history and poli sci have now become a practical launch pad into network news has them furious. The reality that technology means that even a 10 year old can shoot and edit commercial grade spots…. what a 10 year old cannot do is figure out which of 4 polls showing support or anger over the war in Iran are statistically significant (poli sci teaches lots of stats).
As a failed broadcast journalism major, I take umbrage with the word “now” - hmmmmm - these (radio, film, tv) have always been industries where having a communications degree means little vs. any other major. Hence, many schools make you have a minor or even double major. They know!!!
Many in the communication industries come from schools that don’t even have related majors to the field.
Mass Comm is such a - ehhhh - I won’t say useless major - but one better have something else to fall back onto.
Kids are adapting at a fast pace. My D24 got a communications internship at a Fortune 500 company after her freshman year. She won some kind of writing award at the College Media Awards. She’s a prolific writer for the school newspaper. But she’s not an English major - she’s a business major.
IMO, there will be a bunch of really smart kids who can do everything the other kids can do but also have a business background, or engineering background, etc. Her friend who is going into IB has a really high emotional IQ and can sell igloo to an eskimo.
Just my opinion but the stereotypes of kids who major in certain fields that cant write an email or hold a conversation wont hold true anymore.
A few weeks ago, I posted about a similar topic, asking “In the age of AI, do you think such STEM-humanities combinations are attractive to top employers in consulting and other industries?“
One poster shared the following:
“…it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that the STEM + humanities majors received both interest and offers. A major part of the interview process at MBB is the case, and they’re looking for creative problem solvers who look at things from unexpected and unconventional angles. The consulting skill set can be taught (and at my place of employment, it is preferred and considered apprenticeship to learn the craft here). Plenty of my fellow colleagues have unconventional backgrounds, either via major or sustained outside experience or interests. AI is making that all the more important, as more of the “grunt” work in consulting can be outsourced to agents.”
I wouldn’t worry about this for 2 seconds. A generation ago (esp. pre-AIDS, but even another decade or so after that) no one knew what public health was. People who ended up in Public Health got there by accident in most cases - majored in something else in college (bio, math, history, whatever) and then ended up in a job that was related and went back & got Master’s. There were few, if any, undergrad PH degrees. No longer the case - many kids, even at LAC can do a concentration in PH and at larger universities major in PH. I personally know two recent college grads going into public health and have heard of others. It’s an exciting field, and every controversy just makes it more visible. If you have other information - i.e., that the programs are shrinking, I’d be interested to see it but that’s definitely not my impression!
Quick google search seems to suggest that public health degrees are growing every year, esp. since the pandemic.
I have family members who work in Public health and have had their departments and grants get decimated. Ditto with what has happened to/at the CDC. I wish I could be as positive/ optimistic as you, but I cannot. At least not now.
I guess the divide is those going into/studying public health vs those who actually get/keep a job in public health. On the latter your pessimism may be warranted.
Hopefully there will be opportunities for both down the road.
FWIW my kid, an engineering major who graduates in a few weeks, was being pursued hard from his summer internship company not to be an engineer, but to be a manager. They were so impressed with his ability to communicate with the many different groups that worked on the supply chain side and to organize the moving parts, that they wanted him to manage a supply chain process. It was flattering, but not what he wanted (he wants math and more math please). Same thing happened with the internship he had the summer before - it was supposed to be a civil engineering gig, and they ended up moving him to a group that did more business / management / workflow and organization. All of his supervisors have commented on his communication skills, more than his engineering background and that’s what keeps getting him called back.
He’s got a post-grad job lined up as an engineer (with lots of math opportunities) so he’s hoping he gets to really engineer, but I can vouch for the “kids who can communicate are getting the calls” idea.
In that regard, I think that the students from whatever major who are comfortable and confident communicators will always stand out. The question will be whether they can get that foot in the door in the first place to give them an opportunity to shine and be appreciated.
Agreed and that’s what we’ve been seeing too.
My daughter landed her co-op because she was doing a certification in collaborative leadership/communication. She is on a leadership/management track (which is what she wanted) but her company wants an engineering degree paired with a high level of communication and leadership aptitude.
Just a data point of one, but our DIL graduated last May with a degree in public health from UMD and found a good job in the greater DC area almost right away. I’m not sure exactly what she’s doing, but it’s PH related, the pay is good, and she’s enjoying it. She’s not looking at it as stepping stone to something better. They will move around, though, so maybe different markets will treat her differently.
Right. Just because you have technical skills doesnt mean you dont have other skills. Why would companies settle when they can have both.
Think of all the kids who got into highly selective schools studying engineering, math, CS, business who also won essay/poetry awards, debate competitions, language or art competitions with straight A’s in AP Lit, Lang, and Euro History.
Do people believe these kids can’t be effective writers or communicators, or have soft skills just because they want to be finance bros?
