Michelle Cheng, "Students at Most Colleges Don't Pick 'Useless' Majors." (FiveThirtyEight.com)

Parents Forum
1

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/students-at-most-colleges-dont-pick-useless-majors/

Excerpt: "The most popular fields of study among students at the most selective schools are the social sciences, with 19 percent of degrees awarded in majors such as political science, economics and sociology. The next two most popular groups of majors are the biological and biomedical sciences and engineering. At less selective schools, the most common fields of study are related to business (the Education Department calls this category “business, management, marketing and related support services”), with 19 percent of degrees awarded in those majors. The next most popular group is “health professions and related programs.”

Career-focused majors — such as business, education and journalism — are more prevalent at less selective schools than at top-tier schools. Education ranks as the fifth most popular major at less selective schools but is the 21st most popular major at the most selective schools. Other vocation-specific majors such as law enforcement are also more popular at less selective schools.2 In total, more than half of students at less selective schools major in career-focused subjects; at elite schools, less than a quarter of students do so…"

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There is already a discussion here:

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2011180-538-choice-of-major-at-more-and-less-selective-colleges.html

3

“Career-focused majors — such as business, education and journalism — are more prevalent at less selective schools than at top-tier schools”

This has always been the case. If you’re at Harvard and want to be a journalist, you write for the Crimson while majoring in (possibly) something completely unrelated to journalism.

The elite public I went to didn’t have an undergrad journalism or undergrad education program.