Across Major Groups We have categorized 171 undergraduate majors into the following major groups: • Agriculture and Natural Resources • Arts • Biology and Life Science • Business • Communications and Journalism • Computers and Mathematics • Education • Engineering • Health • Humanities and Liberal Arts • Industrial Arts and Consumer Services • Law and Public Policy • Physical Sciences • Psychology and Social Work • Social Science The most popular major group is Business, with 25 percent of all students; the least popular are Industrial Arts and Consumer Services and Agriculture and Natural Resources, with 1.6 percent each. The highest median earnings are found in the Engineering major group ($75,000), while the lowest are the Education and Psychology and Social Work groups ($42,000). Women with an undergraduate major in the Social Science group have the largest earnings differentials, making $18,000 less than men in this category (followed closely by Engineering and Physical Sciences, where women earn $17,000 less than their male counterparts). There are racial differences, too. For example, the median earnings for Whites with an undergraduate major in Engineering are higher than those for Asians, African-Americans, Other Races, and Hispanics (Whites make $80,000, Asians make $72,000, African-Americans make $60,000, Other Races make $57,000, and Hispanics make $56,000). However, in Health, Law and Public Policy, Psychology and Social Work, and Biology and Life Science, Asians make more than Whites. 33 • Comparison Across Major Groups The major groups that have the greatest concentrations of women are Health (85 percent), Education (77 percent), and Psychology and Social work (74 percent), while the major groups with the highest concentrations of men are Engineering (84 percent) and Agriculture and Natural Resources (70 percent). The major group with the highest concentrations of Whites is Agriculture and Natural Resources (90 percent). The highest concentration of Asians can be found in Computers and Mathematics (16 percent), while the highest concentration of African-Americans is in Law and Public Policy (14 percent). Law and Public Policy also has the highest concentration of Hispanics (10 percent). Earnings within these major groups can differ widely. The group with the widest variation is Computers and Mathematics, where the 25th percentile median earnings are $48,000, and the 75th percentile are $100,000 (a difference of $52,000). The likelihood of obtaining a graduate degree varies significantly by major group. People with an undergraduate major in Biology and Life Science are the most likely to obtain an advanced graduate degree (54% do so), while those in the Communications and Journalism and Industrial Arts and Consumer Services major groups are the least likely (only 20 percent do so), followed closely by Business (21 percent). However, Biology and Life Sciences majors get the largest return to a graduate degree (101%), and Arts majors get the smallest returns (23%). Engagement with the labor force also varies significantly by major group. Those most likely to work full-time are in Engineering (93 percent) and those most likely to work part time are in the Arts group (24 percent). The likelihood of being unemployed fluctuates by major group as well. Those most likely to be unemployed are in the Arts group (8 percent), while those least likely to be unemployed are in the Health major group (with unemployment of only 2 percent).
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 19:24:23 +0000
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