25 college majors with the highest unemployment rates

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This is part of package on college degrees and jobless rates. Read the other story: 25 college majors with the lowest jobless rates.

The worst nightmare of a college student has got to be graduating without a job. And the college major that a student selects can actually increase his or her chances of getting stuck in an unemployment line.

College majors that are hampered by high unemployment rates include a variety of psychology degrees, fine arts and architecture. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce delved into U.S. Census Bureau statistics to determine the employment rates of 173 college majors; I crossed them against a list of the most popular college majors.

College majors with the highest unemployment

• 1. Clinical psychology 19.5%
• 2. Miscellaneous fine arts 16.2%
• 3. United States history 15.1%
• 4. Library science 15.0%
• 5. (tie) Military technologies; educational psychology 10.9%
• 6. Architecture 10.6%
• 7. Industrial & organizational psychology 10.4%
• 8. Miscellaneous psychology 10.3%
• 9. Linguistics & comparative literature 10.2%
• 10. (tie) Visual & performing arts; engineering & industrial management 9.2%
• 11. Engineering & industrial management 9.2%
• 12. Social psychology 8.8%
• 13. International business 8.5%
• 14. Humanities 8.4%
• 15. General social sciences 8.2%
• 16. Commercial art & graphic design 8.1%
• 17. Studio art 8.0%
• 18. Pre-law & legal studies 7.9%
• 19. Materials engineering and materials science and composition & speech (tie) 7.7%
• 20. Liberal arts 7.6%
• 21. (tie) Fine arts and genetics 7.4%
• 22. Film video & photography arts and cosmetology services & culinary arts (tie) 7.3%
• 23. Philosophy & religious studies and neuroscience (tie) 7.2%
• 24. Biochemical sciences 7.1%
• 25. (tie) Journalism and sociology 7.0%

Curse of the psychology major?

Five of the college majors with the worst job prospects on this list are related to psychology. Ironically, psychology is the fifth most popular college degree.

With the the housing market in what seems to be a never-ending funk, it's no wonder that many young architects are collecting unemployment.

I'm also not surprised by the high unemployment rate of library scientists, particularly as some colleges and other institutions are questioning the need for large expensive buildings to house collections that can be stored on computers. I happen to know a young library science major and he's been looking for at least two years for a job in that field.

More on MoneyWatch:

• 25 college majors with the lowest jobless rates
  
• Don't get a business degree: 8 reasons
  
• 20 best paying college degrees

[faunvandy]

I've been a librarian since 1994 (I'm in my mid-40s) and one of the main reasons that librarians are having a hard time finding jobs is that the Boomers will NOT RETIRE. There are so many librarians who either couldn't or wouldn't save for retirement that they have to keep on working. At one point librarians anticipated that a huge number of these Boomers would retire to make room for the younger (and, frankly, more technology-savvy) librarians, but it just didn't happen.

[askagain]

The fact that approximately ninety per cent of college graduates find jobs regardless in their major speaks well. There are many factors that affect whether people find jobs in their major. Factors such as the economy, suppy and demand, grades earned, the desirabilty of an individual, and physical and psychological chareteristics of a person all have a bearing on finding jobs. As some posters have pointed out, some jobs require advanced degrees beyond the four year BA or BS degree. Over forty years ago, when I graduated college, it was common knowledge that a four year degree in some fields such as psychology and science was not enough to be marketable. Cetainly, that has not changed. And just choosing a major you like is not enough, either.

[JVMN]

90% might find jobs, but a very large fraction (1/3 or more) of those are working at jobs unrelated to the degree. Some of those jobs don't even require a college degree, or shouldn't.

The problem in fields such as science or humanities is that even with an advanced degree, many or maybe even most graduates still cannot find jobs in the field.

While there are always success stories for a few people, most will have to take what they can get, despite years of "education," mounds of student debt, and the opportunity costs of going to college.

Looking on the bright side maybe that advanced degree will be the ticket to a manager-trainee slot at Burger Doodle.

[bobnjersey]

[Five of the college majors with the worst job prospects on this list are related to psychology. Ironically, psychology is the fifth most popular college degree. ]
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even more ironically ... it's psychology that underlies the current divisions between idealogical camps of 'right thinkers' and 'left thinkers' ... and is the reason why the well of political discourse is poisoned. it's this poisoned well that has led to a completely broken political system ... that if not so broken and self serving ... might actually be able to enact policies that would foster a strong economy ... thereby giving all these psychology majors opportunity in the job market.

how's that for irony?

[mercury3424]

Unfortunately, many of our nation's colleges and universities function like businesses. The unwitting consumer, i.e. the student, too often gets ripped off by exorbitant tuition rates and useless course work.

[reubenrcbs]

Obviously, the country is insane, has no real priorities, and is basically morally bankrupt. Your serve.

[bobnjersey]

[Obviously, the country is insane, has no real priorities, and is basically morally bankrupt. Your serve.]
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but where are we on the list of 'insane aimless morally bankrupt' countries?

[hush_puppy]

Now look who's getting the last laugh for those basket weavers!

[djv1959djv]

32 Subjects are listed since there are multiple ties.

Normally when two things tie for 5th position we say the next one came in 7th. Sloppy work. I wonder how much faith we can have in the accuracy of the numbers with this sort of inattention to detail.?

[kent10280]

I think they listed almost every major popular degree offered in most colleges !

[LincolnX]

Whoa - this is all well and fine for 4 year degrees. I may be wrong, but wouldn't many of these degrees require a graduate level degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in order to be marketable? I've never heard of a "practicing" B.A. in psychology or neuroscience (though I have heard much B.S. from B.A.s in psych!). Similarly, I'm assuming the reason that many professions aren't on the list is that they either don't require the 4 YR degree, or they require earning the 4 year degree en route.

The reason engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists and quantitative types are not on this list is that the 4 year degree provides sufficient relevant skills for the discipline. People are a bit more complicated and the soft skills take a bit longer to cultivate. I don't know of any psych majors (and I was one) who think they will obtain a job with a 4 YR degree.

[secretsquare12]

hypno, what are you talking about? That article points out that engineers have an extremely low unemployment rate - H1Bs are being recruited because companies simply can't find people to hire. The commenters are all just having sour grapes - worth noting that "IT" jobs aren't STEM jobs, they're computer maintenance. They don't even really require a degree. A STEM graduate in this economy can easily find a job.

[BillKilpatrick]

This article is much ado about nothing. Take the worst of the worst: Clinical psychology. It's not a worthless occupation. If anything, its contributions are among the most valuable. If 19.5% of its graduates are unemployed - or under-employed - that still leaves slightly more than 80% gainfully employed after graduation. Only the top four categories have less than 90% employment after graduation. Given the varied reasons individuals fail to succeed - and yes, Virginia, not everyone succeeds in their chosen career path - this story seems to simply start with an assumption and attempt to confirm it, without really examining the data involved.

[bobnjersey]

[Take the worst of the worst: Clinical psychology. It's not a worthless occupation. If anything, its contributions are among the most valuable]
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agreed. if not an occupation ... it will no doubt serve it's recipients well in the life experiences to come.