Best College Degrees for 2023
A delicate balance must be struck when picking a major. While it’s crucial to obtain a degree that can help you land a solid career, you should also pick a profession that matches your interests and skill set.
The finest degrees to obtain are those in which you have a strong interest and which also present you with employment options after graduation, allowing you to maximise your return on investment in education.
Check out some of the top degrees to earn in 2023 if you need to decide on a major that will pique your interest and give you solid work prospects:
popular majors
In order to choose the “best” degrees for 2023, we considered the majors that lead to well-paying careers in expanding industries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following majors can help you find employment that pays more than $60,000 per year, the median salary for all bachelor’s degree-required positions. (BLS). Furthermore, each of these fields has a large number of employment openings, so you don’t need to wait for someone to retire in order to enter the industry.
Biology
There are several possible career paths you might pursue if you major in biology throughout your undergraduate studies. According to the BLS, the top professions for biology majors to consider following graduation are as follows:
Medical scientists, excluding epidemiologists: This is a field that is expected to increase by 17% by 2031 and pay a median annual salary of $95,310. However, a doctoral or professional degree is typically required for entry-level medical scientists.
Dentists: After studying in biology, being a dentist may be a logical next step if you’re willing to continue your education after earning your bachelor’s degree. Dentists make an average yearly pay of $163,220, and employment in the industry is predicted to increase by 6% through 2031.
Teachers: A biology major may find a rewarding profession teaching science to high school pupils. There were 1,058,300 teaching jobs in the United States in 2021, and the typical annual income for secondary school teachers was $61,820.
Business
According to the BLS, business majors may typically anticipate earning a median salary of $65,000 per year. With a business degree, you have a variety of career options available to you, including starting your own company and working to increase and preserve a company’s market share. The top fields for business majors, according to the BLS, are as follows:
Financial managers earn a median salary of $131,710 and are expected to grow by 17% over the following ten years. While most financial managers had bachelor’s degrees (rather than advanced degrees), they also often had at least five years of work experience in a role that was relevant to their current one.
Management analysts: After earning your business degree, this job path may be ideal for you if you have a passion for assisting companies in increasing their productivity. The median yearly wage in this field is $93,000, and by 2031, it is predicted to increase by 11%. Most analysts are able to find employment without a graduate degree.
Accountants and auditors: You may be able to find employment as either an accountant or an auditor with a bachelor’s degree in business accounting or a closely related discipline, while your work prospects may be improved by obtaining further qualification, such as the Certified Public Accountant licence. A median income of $77,250 and 136,400 job opportunities per year are anticipated for accountants and auditors through 2031.
Information technology and computers
We live in a digital world, therefore a career in computer and information technology may be both financially rewarding and fulfilling. According to BLS projections, graduates with this degree may anticipate earning a median annual salary of $85,000. These are a few of the specific positions that this degree can lead to:
Software developers are in high demand and are expected to grow by 25% over the next ten years. This is a fantastic option for anyone with a passion for computing, with a median annual salary of $109,020 and the possibility to start a career with just a bachelor’s degree.
Managers of computer and information systems: This career path can be ideal for you if you’d like to use your computer expertise to support an organisation’s growth. The field is anticipated to grow by 16% by 2031, and the typical annual wage is $159,010. To get one of these jobs, though, you might require a number of years of professional experience or a high level of education.
Engineering
All the items we use on a daily basis are created, produced, and distributed with the aid of engineers. A rewarding job in applied science can result from a major in engineering.
According to the BLS, a person with an engineering degree may expect to earn a median yearly salary of $93,000. The top positions in the industry include the following:
Industrial engineers: With a bachelor’s degree, you can start working towards increasing the effectiveness of industrial systems by obtaining an entry-level career in the field. The median yearly wage is $95,300. By 2031, industrial engineering is expected to expand 10%.
Civil engineers: Civil engineers with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering may design, construct, manage, and maintain infrastructure systems. The average compensation for civil engineers is $88,050, and the sector is expected to rise by 7% over the next ten years.
Even though the profession of mechanical engineering is only expected to increase by 2% by 2031, entry-level occupations only demand a bachelor’s degree and the field offers a great median compensation of $95,300 annually.
8 Student Loans for Engineering Degrees, as well
Healthcare
Numerous employment prospects, ranging from working with patients to managing health services programs, are made available by majoring in healthcare or a related discipline. The top positions in this industry, according to the BLS, pay an average salary of $63,000 for graduates with degrees in healthcare:
Nurse practitioners: Although it requires a master’s degree, becoming a nurse practitioner may be an excellent alternative if you are interested in providing primary care to patients but do not intend to attend medical school. The field is expected to expand by 40% during the following ten years, with a median pay of $123,780.
Managers of medical health services: A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare may find that being the coordinator of a healthcare provider is an ideal career choice. The typical annual wage for this position is $101,340, and it is anticipated to climb 28% by 2031.
Licensed nurses: A registered nurse might begin their career by majoring in nursing. This is a welcome sector that only needs a bachelor’s degree to get started, with a typical pay of $77,600 annually and approximately 3.1 million open positions as of 2021.
Mathematics A degree in mathematics opens up a nearly limitless number of job options, many of which don’t require further schooling.
According to BLS estimates, the median earnings for a graduate with a mathematics degree is $75,000. The following are some of the top careers that a maths major could pursue:
Data scientists: A data scientist analyses raw data to derive important insights. A typical compensation of $100,910 is offered by this in-demand career, which is predicted to increase 36% by 2031. With a bachelor’s degree and no prior experience, the majority of data scientists are able to get entry-level employment.
Management analysts: This field, which pays an average of $93,000 annually and is expected to expand by 11% by the year 2031, can also be entered with a mathematics degree.
