Liberal Arts vs. Business:
Which College Majors Open Doors to Jobs?
Express Employment Professionals Study Reveals
the Best Degrees for Landing a Job
Business and Engineering Top the List
OKLAHOMA CITY, Aug. 21, 2013 — In the sixth of a series of releases titled “America Employed,” Express Employment Professionals, the nation’s largest privately held staffing firm, released findings today that reveal which college majors make a graduate most employable.
A survey of 264 Express franchises across the nation suggests that a business degree gives someone the best chance of landing a job. Engineering, accounting, and computer and information sciences round out the top four.
Liberal arts, math and statistics, science technologies, communications technologies and education ranked at the bottom of the list.
“People go to college for education, but they also need jobs, so it’s important college students know what’s hot and what’s not before they select their major,” said Bob Funk, CEO of Express Employment Professionals, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
“If you have a business or engineering degree, you’re going to be in demand. That’s not to say other degrees aren’t valuable, but today’s economic reality is that a liberal arts degree, while edifying, probably isn’t going to make you the most competitive or widely marketable job candidate,” Funk said.
Respondents were asked to select which major “makes someone the most employable.” The responses were as follows.
| 1. Business: |
26% |
| 2. Engineering: |
16% |
| 3. Accounting: |
14% |
| 4. Computer and Information Sciences: |
13% |
| 5. Health Professions and
Related Clinical Sciences: |
8% |
| 6. Engineering Technologies: |
3% |
| 7. Finance: |
3% |
| 8. Marketing: |
3% |
| 9. Nursing: |
3% |
| 10. Liberal Arts and Sciences,
General Studies and Humanities: |
2% |
| 11. Communications Technologies: |
1% |
| 12. Education: |
1% |
| 13. Math and Statistics: |
1% |
| 14. Science Technologies: |
1% |
If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bob Funk to discuss this topic, please contact Sherry Kast at (405) 717-5966.
About Robert A. Funk
Robert A. “Bob” Funk is chairman, chief executive officer and president of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more than 675 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than five million people to work worldwide. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve.
About Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated more than $2.3 billion in temporary sales in 2012 and ranks as the largest privately held staffing agency in the United States. Its goal is to put a million people to work.