An Assessment of the Perceived Utility of Various College Majors
The ACT Alumni Survey was used to evaluate (a) the perceived utility of academic majors, (b) congruence between major and career, (c) the quality of educational preparation, and (d) the effects of gender upon the outcome measures for 55,000 college alumni. Statistical variations among college majors and between genders were observed. In particular, certain majors (e.g., computer science and health-related majors) received high marks on several measures, whereas others (e.g., social sciences, biology, and general studies) received uniformly poor ratings. Women reported a higher degree of college major and career consistency than did men.
Contributor Notes
Steven W. Graham is an assistant professor and Irv Cockriel is an associate professor in the Department of Higher and Adult Education and Foundations. Address correspondence concerning this article to them at College of Education, 202 Hill Hall, Columbia, MO 65211.
