The 10 Best Non-STEM Majors for Getting a High Paying Job
Elton Lin
(This is an updated version of an article from 2020.)
Getting a solid job with a high salary soon after graduating from college is, for many students and families, the goal of their degree. Tie this in with the belief that majoring in STEM will guarantee both a high salary and a low unemployment rate, and it’s no wonder that 131,500 undergraduates obtained bachelor’s degrees in biological and biomedical sciences in 2021 (the fifth most popular college major in the United States), and that 126,000 undergraduates did so in engineering (the sixth most popular).
While STEM consists of many strong fields to pursue, with many opportunities, these majors do not necessarily guarantee a high salary and a stable job. It would also be remiss for students to overlook the high-paying career opportunities that so many non-STEM majors bring.
Many factors go into determining a salary, including but not limited to market data and the supply of—and demand for—employees and skill sets in a certain industry. Employees who work in a company or the industry for a longer period of time also typically get higher wages or raises. However, just as important as the value of a salary is having the job itself—that is, students may also want to look at the unemployment rate in a given industry when thinking about well-paying college majors.
Taking all of this into account, below are ten of the best non-STEM college majors to pursue in order to land a well-paying job in today’s workforce:
| Major | Median Annual Salary* | Unemployment Rate** |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $101,400 | 5.5% |
| Finance | $99,900 | 4.1% |
| Political Science | $86,380 | 6.9% |
| Accounting | $84,880 | 3.3% |
| Marketing | $75,930 | 6.6% |
| Business Management and Administration | $75,600 | 5% |
| History | $73,560 | 5.8% |
| Communications | $67,840 | 5.8% |
| Sociology | $63,660 | 9% |
| Psychology | $62,270 | 4.7% |
*Data from those aged 25 to 64 with a bachelor’s degree or higher with earnings; Source: American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau
**Source: Statista
A cursory look at this list reveals that degrees in the social sciences can be strong non-STEM options for students looking for higher salaries post-graduation. The skills that social sciences majors gain over the course of their studies are, in fact, in high demand from employers and businesses, even in STEM-based careers. Not only do these skills consist of “soft” skills (e.g. communication, teamwork, critical thinking), but they also encompass many “hard” skills as well (e.g. data analysis, strategic planning), and this wide skill set is sought after in a myriad of careers.
However, it’s also incredibly important to look beyond the information in this chart and note that, among the many myths about college majors that exist out there, the myth that your major pre-determines your career is possibly one of the most widespread.
The truth is that, for specific careers like law, medicine, social work, et cetera, graduate school degrees are indeed often necessary. However, undergraduate majors have a much more flexible relationship with future careers. A study using data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census showed that only 27.3% of working college graduates have a job that corresponds to their college major, and a later survey of 1,000 Americans who graduated from college in Fall ‘21 or Spring ‘22 found that 20% of the recent graduates surveyed reported that their current jobs were unrelated to their college majors. A college major certainly equips students with valuable knowledge and skills, but those can be applied to a myriad of jobs aside from the ones correlated more straightforwardly with the major itself.
Choosing a college major is a complex decision with many factors to consider, and one of the most important factors is students’ genuine interest in the subject. Potential salary and career prospects are certainly important to consider as well, but without that spark of interest, it can be difficult for students to not only stay motivated throughout their college years and careers beyond, but also can affect personal well-being and academic performance.
Students should research various fields, find extracurricular opportunities (like summer camps and internships) related to potential majors, and experiment to find which subjects they enjoy!
If you would like some more information or want to further discuss what college majors or career options may be a good fit for your student, please feel free to book a free consultation with us, and we can help your student discover their individual path to success.