College Majors with the Best — and Worst — Job Prospects Right Now: Art History Tops Finance
Graduation season is here, bringing the usual excitement for college seniors — but this year, it’s mixed with a growing sense of uncertainty about jobs and the economy. Surprisingly, students in majors like art history, nutrition, and philosophy are entering the job market with stronger employment prospects than many of their peers in STEM and business fields.
A new analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that some of the most in-demand majors right now aren’t necessarily the ones people expect. Based on 2023 Census data, recent grads with degrees in nutritional scienceshad an unemployment rate of just 0.4%, and art history majors came in at 3%. Meanwhile, computer science and computer engineering grads faced higher unemployment rates — 6.1% and 7.5%, respectively — despite typically earning more right out of school.
Even finance and economics majors lagged behind. Finance majors had a 3.7% unemployment rate, slightly higher than philosophy grads at 3.2%, challenging long-held assumptions about which degrees lead to the most stable jobs.
Job Market Trends Are Shifting
While STEM fields still offer the highest starting salaries — with computer science majors earning a median $80,000 right after graduation — the landscape is shifting. The job market is tightening, and unemployment among recent grads has ticked up, rising to 5.8% in March, compared to 4.6% the year prior. Gen Z households receiving unemployment benefits also jumped 32% year over year in February.
For students weighing job security over salary, liberal arts degrees are gaining new traction — especially as employers rethink what skills they need most.
At a conference last year, BlackRock COO Robert Goldstein said the firm is reworking its hiring strategy. “We have more and more conviction that we need people who majored in history, in English, and things that have nothing to do with finance or technology,” he said.
The rise of AI and automation is also fueling this trend, as companies seek workers with critical thinking, communication skills, and creative problem-solving abilities — strengths often developed through humanities coursework.
Health Care Careers Stand Strong
Meanwhile, health care remains one of the most resilient industries in the country.
The U.S. economy added 902,000 health care and social assistance jobs in 2024, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the sector is projected to keep growing at a pace well above average through 2033.
Nursing, in particular, continues to offer both stability and opportunity. The unemployment rate for nursing majors is just 1.4%, according to the New York Fed.
“Nursing is extremely resilient in times of economic uncertainty, like we are seeing right now,” said Travis Moore, a registered nurse and health-care strategist at Indeed. Although the median salary for nursing grads may trail those in economics or finance, job security is top of mind for many new grads in 2025.
“There’s a significant nursing shortage going on right now,” Moore added. “That creates a really strong opportunity to get into a career with low risk of layoffs and high demand.”