The Major File

What This Report Is For

A college major is not a destiny, but it is not an incidental choice either. Different degrees lead into very different labor markets. Some offer a direct route to well-paid, degree-level work. Others provide useful intellectual training but leave graduates to build the connection between what they studied and what employers need.

The Major File is designed to make those differences visible. It is not meant to tell anyone what to study—or to declare one field worthwhile and another worthless. Its purpose is to help students, graduates, parents, and career changers look past promotional claims and understand the employment record associated with each major.

What the Report Shows

For each of 73 majors, the report shows median early-career and mid-career earnings, recent-graduate unemployment, recent-graduate underemployment, and the percentage of degree holders who also earned a graduate degree. The A–C grade combines pay, unemployment, and underemployment into a quick comparative summary.

The grade is a starting point, not a verdict. Underemployment means working in an occupation that typically does not require a bachelor’s degree; it does not automatically mean low pay, part-time work, or failure. High graduate-degree participation also matters: in fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and biochemistry, the bachelor’s degree is often only the first step. Individual outcomes still depend on experience, location, internships, specialization, contacts, and the evidence a candidate can show an employer.