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Popular College Degrees and Programs

Want to see what degrees are the most popular among students seeking postsecondary education? Below is a list of the 200 most popular degrees and certificates awarded per the most recent data published by the NCES. No differentiation is made between the varying degree levels, though minor degrees are not included. The list provides a quick idea as to which areas of study are commonly being pursued and which are believed to provide the most career choices upon completion. The data is taken from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

List of the Top 200 Most Popular Degrees & Programs

The table below lists the total degrees and certificates awarded from all accredited colleges and universities in the United State from 2015-2016. Simply click on the best degree program for you to learn more about career pathways, top-ranked colleges, popular online degrees, admissions insights, average financial aid awards, employment trends, average income by profession, and much more.

Rank	Program Name	Awarded
^#1	Nursing	502,306
^#2	Liberal Arts	358,565
^#3	Business Administration	345,420
^#4	General Studies	126,381
^#5	Psychology	125,892
^#6	Biology	87,831
^#7	Communications	81,088
^#8	Accounting	77,713
^#9	Medical Assistant	60,317
^#10	Social Work	56,371
^#11	Cosmetology	52,002
^#12	Mechanical Engineering	47,168
^#13	Finance	46,730
^#14	Computer Science	46,581
^#15	Criminal Justice	45,720
^#16	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)	45,607
^#17	Advertising and Marketing	45,339
^#18	Welding	45,129
^#19	Nursing Assistant	43,162
^#20	Political Science	40,521
^#21	Bookkeeping	40,438
^#22	English	40,214
^#23	Elementary Education	39,239
^#24	Auto Mechanic	35,890
^#25	Law	34,720
^#26	Sociology	34,466
^#27	Educational Leadership and Administration	31,569
^#28	Sports Management	31,338
^#29	Early Childhood Education	30,859
^#30	Kinesiology And Exercise Science	30,575
^#31	Electrical Engineering	30,531
^#32	Economics	30,457
^#33	Education	30,423
^#34	EMT and Paramedic	28,855
^#35	History	28,827
^#36	Law and Justice Administration	27,832
^#37	Math	26,934
^#38	Healthcare Administration	26,485
^#39	Information Technology	26,109
^#40	Esthetician	23,657
^#41	Civil Engineering	21,159
^#42	Chemistry	20,389
^#43	Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC)	19,885
^#44	Special Education	19,775
^#45	Public Health	19,757
^#46	Medicine	19,720
^#47	Social Science	19,377
^#48	Counseling Psychology	19,208
^#49	Curriculum and Instruction	18,739
^#50	Electrician	17,517
^#51	Information Science	17,466
^#52	Dental Assistant	17,412
^#53	Public Administration	17,301
^#54	Bus and Truck Driver	17,020
^#55	Human Resources	16,954
^#56	Pharmacy	15,993
^#57	Family Practice Nurse	15,522
^#58	Chemical Engineering	14,118
^#59	Sports Medicine	14,088
^#60	Computer Networking	14,020
^#61	Human Services	13,629
^#62	International Relations	13,047
^#63	Physical Therapy	12,865
^#64	Journalism	12,648
^#65	Organizational Leadership	12,490
^#66	Physics	12,401
^#67	Culinary Arts	12,204
^#68	Guidance Counselor	12,140
^#69	Information Systems	12,121
^#70	Biomedical Engineering	11,888
^#71	Massage Therapy	11,727
^#72	Fine Arts and Studio Arts	11,372
^#73	Music	11,113
^#74	Drama and Theatre Arts	11,109
^#75	Ultrasound Technician	11,092
^#76	Radiology Technician	10,782
^#77	CAD	10,694
^#78	Management Science	10,654
^#79	Anthropology	10,564
^#80	Physician Assistant	10,193
^#81	Nail Technician	10,042
^#82	Paralegal	9,952
^#83	Biochemistry	9,741
^#84	Family Studies	9,681
^#85	Engineering	9,631
^#86	Diesel Mechanic	9,504
^#87	Industrial Engineering	9,400
^#88	Veterinary Assistant	9,272
^#89	Criminology	9,248
^#90	International Business	9,167
^#91	Biomedical Science	9,141
^#92	Occupational Therapy	9,138
^#93	Secondary Education	9,118
^#94	Nursing Administration	9,069
^#95	Logistics and Supply Chain Management	9,068
^#96	Medical Insurance Coding	8,933
^#97	Medical Executive Assistant	8,765
^#98	Health Information and Medical Records Technology	8,662
^#99	Environmental Science	8,635
^#100	Administrative Assistant	8,617
^#101	Physical Education	8,569
^#102	Graphic Design	8,494
^#103	Pharmacy Technician	8,341
^#104	Dental Hygienist	8,337
^#105	Fire Science	8,180
^#106	Spanish Language and Literature	8,083
^#107	Phlebotomy	8,031
^#108	Neuroscience	7,972
^#109	Cinematography And Film	7,964
^#110	Surgical Technologist	7,956
^#111	Computer Programming	7,919
^#112	Industrial Mechanics	7,712
^#113	Audiology and Speech Pathology	7,709
^#114	Multimedia	7,684
^#115	Physical Therapist Assistant	7,650
^#116	Medical Insurance Biller	7,619
^#117	Entrepreneurship	7,615
^#118	Philosophy	7,551
^#119	Molecular Biology	7,408
^#120	Geology	7,359
^#121	International and Global Studies	7,321
^#122	Audio and Video Production	7,298
^#123	Ministry	7,140
^#124	Respiratory Therapy	7,131
^#125	Animal Science	7,037
^#126	Statistics	6,811
^#127	Osteopathy	6,700
^#128	Software Engineering	6,692
^#129	Reading Teacher and Literacy Specialist	6,528
^#130	Dentistry	6,403
^#131	Mental Health Counseling	6,368
^#132	Creative Writing	6,363
^#133	Theology	6,189
^#134	Architecture	6,125
^#135	Organizational and Nonprofit Management	6,086
^#136	Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling	6,071
^#137	Aircraft Mechanic	6,033
^#138	Web Design	5,566
^#139	Interior Design	5,503
^#140	Public Relations	5,474
^#141	Operations Management	5,431
^#142	Design and Visual Communications	5,385
^#143	ESL	5,353
^#144	Industrial Technology	5,352
^#145	Medical Office Assistant	5,305
^#146	Manufacturing Engineering Technician	5,300
^#147	Athletic Training	5,283
^#148	Clinical Psychology	5,283
^#149	Real Estate	5,265
^#150	Engineering Management	5,259
^#151	Public Policy	5,189
^#152	Auto Body	5,142
^#153	Animation	5,136
^#154	Geography	5,040
^#155	Office Management and Supervision	5,000
^#156	Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)	4,986
^#157	Baking And Pastry	4,964
^#158	Nutrition	4,759
^#159	Nursing Science	4,704
^#160	Hospital and Healthcare Facility Management	4,618
^#161	Exercise Physiology	4,286
^#162	Child Care	4,268
^#163	Machinist	4,244
^#164	Child Development	4,147
^#165	Medical Lab Technician	4,137
^#166	Talmudic Studies	4,126
^#167	Carpentry	4,066
^#168	Risk Management and Insurance	4,066
^#169	Aviation	4,057
^#170	Fashion Merchandising	4,036
^#171	Higher Education Administration	3,967
^#172	Fire Prevention	3,854
^#173	Commercial and Advertising Art	3,825
^#174	Medical Office Management	3,769
^#175	Corrections Officer	3,742
^#176	Dietetics	3,739
^#177	Organizational Behavior Studies	3,675
^#178	Medical Technology	3,663
^#179	Construction Management	3,656
^#180	Behavioral Science	3,649
^#181	Forensic Psychology	3,596
^#182	Parks and Recreation Management	3,574
^#183	Biotechnology	3,567
^#184	Forensic Science	3,530
^#185	Materials Engineering	3,526
^#186	Optometry	3,494
^#187	Art History	3,487
^#188	Systems Engineering	3,481
^#189	Agriculture	3,464
^#190	Religious Studies	3,433
^#191	Sales Manager	3,388
^#192	Project Management	3,338
^#193	Fashion Design	3,322
^#194	Nutrition	3,320
^#195	Marriage and Family Therapy	3,308
^#196	Veterinary Medicine	3,297
^#197	Financial Planning	3,192
^#198	Middle School Teacher	3,188
^#199	School Psychology	3,118
^#200	Christian Counseling	3,024

Top College Majors List by Area of Study

To view the listing of college majors by area of study, we have meticulously compiled a list by learning clusters. In other words, you may be inclined to search for nursing degrees or criminal justice careers by category instead of by state or school size. Regardless of your current college search status, you can learn details about nearly 8,000 accredited colleges and nearly 1,500 college degrees with MatchCollege. To learn more about a particular college area of study, simply select the learning domain listed below to find an array of college degree pathways.

Business & Finance	Medicine & Allied Health
Education	Skilled Trades & Repair Services
Communication & Media	Psychology
Law & Criminal Justice	Administration & Social Services
Liberal Arts and Humanities	Nutrition and Wellness
Computers & Information Technology	Physical & Life Sciences
Engineering & Architecture	Arts & Design
Social Sciences	Animal & Agriculture Studies
Beauty & Hospitality Services

12 Most Popular College Majors by Degree Type

The most popular college degrees conferred in the United States can be found visually below. Data was gathered from the NCES for their most recent reporting years to visually help college-bound students understand each degree cluster and its relative popularity. Degrees were ordered from highest to lowest for the current reporting year, the last year, and the prior year to provide you with degree trend patterns. A full list of the top 200 college majors are listed below the graph to provide you with the opportunity to delve into each college major.