The 5 most popular college majors trending for 2020

Many new occupations are emerging to attract college students to their program of study, such as hazmat technician, for example. Some college majors have remained popular for years and continue to turn out sizable numbers of graduates who quickly find jobs related to their education. Here are five of the current most popular college majors that are growing in many U.S. colleges and universities.

Cyber Security

In tandem with the spiraling growth of cyber crime, the career field of cyber security has exploded in popularity. This major equips its graduates with the knowledge of dealing with cyber forensics and investigative analysis to track, find, and recover valuable information stored digitally online. As experts learn more about managing encrypted data and the hacking of electronic systems along with identity theft, students who major in cyber security can expect to find many choice jobs available when they graduate. Zip Recruiter reports that the average salary is $47,000 while Glassdoor claims that a cyber security analyst can make about $76,410.

Psychology

Long considered to be an important and necessary major, psychology majors are more valuable than ever due to the exponential growth of mental health issues. These include recent developments like the opioid crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic as well as heightened racial tensions in the U.S. Issues like these, combined with longstanding concerns over fragmented families, poverty inequities, and similar problems require the help of professional psychologists to treat the many victims who are battling stress and abuse as they try to establish normal lives. Chron.com states that the average 2019 salary was $80,370.

Nursing

The field of nursing continues to recruit new hires from each pool of nursing graduates. This profession includes nursing positions in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, and many businesses, among others. Students can choose a specialty like obstetrics or pediatrics to work in patients in promoting a healthy lifestyle as well as treating common conditions in a certain population, like tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Nurses work around the world, although the U.S. has consistently hired nurses for various positions. In 2020, NursesLabs indicates the average nursing salary in the U.S. is $77,460 a year.

Business

Since all companies participate in the world of business, there is a universal need for new hires in a variety of positions. These include finances, management, accounting, customer relations, and many other areas of business practice. A business major can start a personal business or apply to companies to learn more in a hands-on way of how businesses operate. PayScale reports that someone with a bachelor’s degree in Business can earn more than $50,000 while someone with a master’s degree may be able to earn a starting salary close to $70,000.

Education

Like nursing, teachers can get jobs almost anywhere in the world. The main way is by teaching English speaking and writing skills in countries where students want to learn the language directly. Educators are needed in the U.S. for every age group, from preschool through college, as well as in numerous subjects that include English, math, science, and social studies as the elementary basics. Educators are often hired by companies to provide training through workshops and seminars, so an education major can work in the business world if desired. Earnings range widely, from a starting salary of $16,978 to eventual earning of $427,466 according to Salary.com.

There are other popular majors to choose from as well. It is advisable to contact an academic adviser and possibly take an aptitude test to determine the student’s interests as well as receive general information about popular majors for future careers.