The 50 Most Popular College Majors, According to Web Searches

Anyone with a college degree knows that picking a major and sticking to it isn’t easy. The University of Tulsa states that roughly 80 percent of college students change their major at least once. If you’re trying to decide which subject is best for you, take a look at the 50 most-searched majors in 2024.

The online tutoring website Wiingy created this data set using Google’s Keyword Planner, a free resource that shows how many searches keywords get per month. After compiling a list of common college majors, the researchers gathered data for specific keywords and phrases such as “ college courses,” “which school has the best program,” and “best school for .” Wiingy combined the total search volume for each term and then listed the results from most popular to least. The data was sampled from a 12-month period.

Psychology majors came out on top, with an average monthly search volume of 37,950. The study of the human mind encompasses many subtopics, including social, child, and developmental psychology. Although the major is No.1 on the popularity scale, many undergraduates who major in social and behavioral sciences end up regretting their choice, according to one recent survey.

Next on the list is computer science, which focuses on the theory behind programming, computation, and operating systems. The major received 27,944 average monthly searches, and with good reason. Computer science degrees offer one of the highest returns on investment, placing third in a 2024 list of the most lucrative majors. Those specializing in this profession go on to earn a median early career salary of $78,000.    

The third most popular major is business administration. In short, this career teaches students how to run an organization well. Courses range from learning to analyze data and make sound business decisions to coordinating resources and finances. The degrees earned an average monthly search volume of 27,480.

The 50 most popular degrees vary widely, from music to marine biology. You can find the entire list below.

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