What do you think the most popular college major is? Why?

Answer 1

In the US, the most popular college majors are, in order, Business, Psychology, Elementary Education, Biology, Nursing, Education, English, Communications, Computer Science, and Political Science.

In my opinion (which is supported by research), these majors are the most popular choices because today, students are most anxious about employment after college, and overwhelmingly tend to choose majors that they think will help them get the best-paying and most stable employment after they graduate. (Unfortunately, they may not be correct in this thinking.)

This is a new trend. In the 1960s and 1970s, the most popular majors were English, Philosophy, and History. Students back then chose majors which they believed would help them to think about, write about, and evaluate the world in which they lived. They understood that college majors were designed to teach students about various ways of thinking and evaluating evidence, and were not necessarily directly tied to future fields of employment.

There is a trend today, however, toward gearing majors more and more directly toward specific employment after graduation. For example, departments of business, engineering, and computer science have grown exponentially to meet this generation's expectations. In addition, community colleges and trade schools have seen much growth over the past decade, reflecting this generation's desire for employment-driven education.

This may be more information than you asked for, but your question is an excellent one, and is of great interest to me because I teach at the university level.