Special Report
College Majors With the Lowest Unemployment
June 14, 2019 5:30 pm
Last Updated: March 13, 2020 4:52 pm
Source: alvarez / Getty Images
25. Medical Technologies Technicians
> Unemployment: 1.79%
> Avg. salary: $55,436
> BA holders with a master’s degree: 18.5%
> BA holders in labor force: 182,810
Of the nearly 183,000 Americans with a bachelor’s degree in the medical technology field, more than 98% are employed. Like many other jobs in the medical and health field, these technicians also tend to be very well compensated. The average annual earnings for someone with this degree is $55,436 — more than double the average earnings for all college graduates of $25,818.
Source: SolStock / Getty Images
24. Early Childhood Education
> Unemployment: 1.76%
> Avg. salary: $32,505
> BA holders with a master’s degree: 53.1%
> BA holders in labor force: 221,104
Early childhood education degree-holders are among the many graduates in educational fields with relatively low unemployment. Though nearly all degree holders in this field are employed, most are not especially well compensated relative to other types of graduates on this list — especially considering that most Americans with an early childhood education degree go on to earn a master’s degree.
Source: kzenon / Getty Images
23. Theology And Religious Vocations
> Unemployment: 1.71%
> Avg. salary: $36,956
> BA holders with a master’s degree: 55.6%
> BA holders in labor force: 319,990
According to a Pew study, more than 76% of Americans are religious, nearly all of whom are Christian. This means that hundreds of millions of residents need somewhere to worship and spiritual leaders to guide them. Just 1.71% of theology and religious vocations majors are unemployed, one of the lowest unemployment rates among all college majors.
Source: dusanpetkovic / Getty Images
22. Health And Medical Preparatory Programs
> Unemployment: 1.70%
> Avg. salary: $99,363
> BA holders with a master’s degree: 57.1%
> BA holders in labor force: 98,960
Health and medical preparatory programs serve as an undergraduate path for students to continue their education in medical fields like dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and more. More than half of graduates with this major go on to earn their doctorate. Working in the medical field is often lucrative, and the average salary for people with health and medical prep bachelor’s degrees is nearly $100,000 per year.
Source: PeopleImages / Getty Images
21. Mathematics Teacher Education
> Unemployment: 1.67%
> Avg. salary: $35,971
> BA holders with a master’s degree: N/A
> BA holders in labor force: 92,940
The American education system has placed a premium on STEM courses — STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Likely due in part to this renewed focus, college graduates with math teacher education majors are more likely to be employed than almost all other majors. Graduates in this field have a 1.67% unemployment rate, less than a third of the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 5.38% for all college graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree.
Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Editors' Picks
