Why all college majors are not created equal anymore - Stag Rezscore Insight

Sarah Jenkins April 9, 2026
College Majors are NOT Created Equal

High school students have been told for decades that if you want a better paying job, go tocollegeand many young adults have done that, no doubt some with the belief thatallcollegemajorsarecreatedequal. Theyarenot. Going tocollegeis a financial decision, second only to buying a house. More specifically, it's an investment decision.

Meanwhile, Communication-orientedmajorslike Business Communications or Education reported a much more even distribution of low-to-moderate stress. This suggests that the structure of amajor-notyear, not sleep, not workload alone- is one of the strongest predictors of how a stressed student truly feels.

While it's generally true that higher education pays off, it's by no means a guarantee. And new data shows that it is still a good idea to get acollegedegree—but that really depends on yourmajor. On today's Faith & Finance on AFR, host Rob West explains how you need to plan ahead to make sure your degree jumpstarts a successful career. Then he answers some financial questions.

In Hard Times, we argue thatcollegeremains the best alternative for young workers with one caveat: Notallmajorsarecreatedequal. Somemajorsoffer substantially better employment prospects than others. Here are some of ourmajorfindings: 1. Choice ofmajorsubstantially affects employment prospects and earnings. 2.

Acollegedegree has long been considered the golden ticket to a successful career. But with the job market changing at a breakneck pace, notalldegrees arecreatedequal. The skills employers ...

The corporate world is having its "Emperor's New Clothes" moment. For decades, we've collectively pretended that acollegedegree is the golden ticket to workplace success. I have bad news. It'snot.Majorcompanies are finally admitting what many of us have suspectedallalong: skills matter more than sheepskin. IBM coined the term "new collar jobs" in 2016 to describe roles ...

Today's students are making strategic choices that align with a fast-changing labor market — but sharp declines in fields like education, social work, and the humanities raise red flags for our society's future. This deep dive explores what shiftingcollegemajortrends reveal about economic opportunity, societal priorities, and the risks ahead.

At the same time, getting acollegedegree today is far more expensive than it was in 1970, which is also driving students away from studying education given the modest pay for teachers.

While a universitymajorprovides a broad set of skills, industries value and reward those skills very differently. Two graduates with the samemajormight choose two different industries to join, but one industry may be better suited for the skills associated with thismajor.