Choosing an academic discipline to major in college may sound so simple, but in reality, some people struggle with it. If you just want to navigate through school, you may find yourself asking: Which is the easiest college major degree to pass?
There are some, however, who take pride in studying the most difficult majors. The question for these ones is: which are the hardest college majors?
Easiest & Hardest Majors
Whichever is the case for you, it is important to understand that there is no degree program that is extremely easy. Your struggle may be some else’s strength and vice versa. Also, it may be offensive to tell someone passionate about his discipline that his major is so easy that about anyone can study it. And, every course, no matter how petty, requires you to dedicate time and effort to study it.
Meanwhile, objectively, there are majors that the majority of people consider difficult and others they consider easy. Many of us struggled with mathematics at the preliminary stage of schooling and had to practice extra hard to master it.
It is therefore on this premise of objectivity rather than subjectivity, as well as evidence from GPA score that we rank our majors.
However, before we proceed, let’s look at the link between your college major and career.
College Major and Career
The Easiest College Majors
It will suffice to restate here that the following discipline we consider as easier to pass is based on certain factors. One of these factors is the objective outlook of the course. Another is the average GPA of sample students in said disciplines.
#2. Primary Education
This major is ideal for students who want to work with children. This specialization prepares you to work as a teacher, usually in the K-5 classroom. You’ll be responsible for transferring skills in organization, leadership, and communication.
Also, you’ll graduate to teach primary grades, covering topics such as curriculum development and child development. In addition, you’ll teach English as a second language, and other areas of education like mathematics and sciences.
Primary education is one of the easiest disciplines because many students already have skills in focus areas. Courses in the most rigorous subjects, such as maths and sciences, generally cover knowledge at the elementary level to prepare students for teaching materials at this level. Students in primary education are also eligible for a number of scholarships.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.7.
Also, Primary Education Teachers have an unemployment rate of 3.4% and their average salary is $44,699.
#3. Secondary Education
Just like Primary education, this is also one of the easiest degrees to pass. Specialization in secondary education prepares you for careers in secondary education. Many educational programs are designed to meet the specific requirements of secondary education teachers in the state of the institution.
Also, programs here usually include preparation for license exams and specific courses based on your educational interests. For example, if you wish to teach literature in high schools, you’ll complete more subjects in literature than other subjects.
Additionally, people consider this major one of the simplest because oftentimes, you’ll work with colleagues to complete assignments. Graduates with a secondary education diploma teach from 9 to 12 years.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.6.
Also, Secondary Education Teachers have an unemployment rate of 4.1% and their average salary is $52,727.
#4. Music
A bachelor in music can be a good choice for you if you are considering playing a musical instrument professionally. Music certificates often contain a variety of concentrations that are available in certain music and music interests. Some music programs also offer concentrations in audio or theater performances.
Additionally, music certificates usually have a basis for liberal arts.
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People consider this one of the easiest college majors because you’ll often complete performance tests than written tests. However, you can pursue a career as special trainers or professional artists with a music degree.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.6.
Also, Musicians have an unemployment rate of 4.5% and their average salary is $46,744.
#5. Social work
Professionals here play an important role in society. They connect families, children, and individuals with local resources as well as counseling and treatment services. This profession prepares you for various roles in the job market, in addition to further education and advanced licenses.
Here, you’ll take courses on topics such as social work policy, gender studies, trauma therapy, addiction advice, and behavioral sciences. Training courses in this specialty do not usually include high-level mathematics or natural sciences. For this reason, people consider it as one of the easiest college majors.
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This program often requires you to complete a training requirement in your final year towards obtaining a license or certificate. This training, in the form of internships, helps boost your GPA.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.6.
Also, Social Workers have an unemployment rate of 5.9% and their average salary is $53,950.
#6. Communications & Public Relations
This is an academic field that deals with communication processes and human behavior. It is of three types namely: oral, relating to listening to a person to understand the meaning of the message; written, reading of a message; and nonverbal communication, which regards observing the person and extracting meaning. The discipline covers a range of topics, from direct conversation to mass media, such as television broadcasting.
Meanwhile, regarding cultural studies, communication sciences share how to interpret messages through a political context. It also involves interpretation in the cultural, economic, semi-thick, interpretive and social context. In the political economy, however, communication studies examine how property policy affects content.
Because this course concentrates more on reading than calculations, people see it as one of the easiest degrees to pass. However, to excel in this specialization, you must learn to speak to people, be it a small or large group.
Apart from this, the telecom companies have opportunities to do interesting projects, writing a lot.
When you graduate, you’ll move on to jobs in marketing and business management.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.5.
Also, Public Relations Officers have an unemployment rate of 3.6% and their average salary is $42,522.
#7. Language & Linguistics
Linguistics is simply the scientific study of language. It concerns the analysis of the form of language and the meaning of language as well as language in context.
Also, what you do here is to analyze human language by observing the interaction between sound and meaning. Students consider language and linguistics as one of the easiest college majors because learning a language is a fairly simple task.
It’s basically about the art of conversation, something that the human mind does well. If you can remember well, you’ll achieve good results in this discipline. However, according to your area of specialization, this major can be considered simpler or more difficult. Learning Spanish, for example, may not be very difficult. Studying the Russian language, on the other hand, may prove a little harder.
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Graduates of this specialization proceed to be translators for airlines. They may also go into advertising, editing & publishing, or work for foreign civil services.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Linguists have an unemployment rate of 9.3% and their average salary is $51,629.
#8. English Literature
This discipline treats literature written in the English language. It is one of the oldest disciplines and universities and colleges from around the world offer it. You’ll basically be studying the history of famous writers like James Joyce (Ireland), William Shakespeare (England), and Vladimir Nabokov (Russia).
The hardest part of studying English Literature degree is that you’ll read a lot. Students believe that outside of that, there isn’t much to the major. Also, the curriculum involves students reading various literature and discussing them. Then occasionally, you’ll be given the opportunity to write your own literature.
While others think the career opportunities for English Literature majors are slim, most students proceed to be authors. However, there’s almost no limit to creativity that literature students possess. Thus you may go ahead to work as PR, an advertising agency, or you move into acting. You can even teach the subject in high school.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Literature teachers have an unemployment rate of 9.8% and their average salary is $47,973.
The Hardest College Majors
Of course, majors here have a lower GPA, which shows how difficult it is to pass these degree programs. Major is the hardest undergraduate degree in the world. Their master’s degree program may not have posed that serious challenge. The following is the list of hardest majors, from the least hard to the hardest.
#9. Social Sciences
This field covers a variety of topics, including sociology, anthropology, history, and political science. The fact that a title covers a wide range of topics probably makes social science one of the most difficult majors.
Social science degrees are ideal for students with diverse academic and research interests who wish to graduate with many professional opportunities.
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A degree in social sciences provides a unique and diverse academic base in the liberal arts. Graduates can eventually enter fields such as journalism, politics, and sociology.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Journalists have an unemployment rate of 6.8% and their average salary is $45,845.
#10. Business and Management
When we talk about the degree of business, we focus more on accounting and finance degrees in business school. Because these degrees are based largely on quantitative techniques, students see it as one of the most difficult majors to pass.
Here, you spend a lot of time studying. You’ll also take plenty of tests and many students have difficulty maintaining a high GPA.
Students view Business and Management as a major that turns you into a boss. Therefore, you don’t expect it to be quite easy. Your four-year college training will involve using quantitative analysis to make managerial decisions as well as plenty of reading.
This area includes many other topics like finance, administration, human resources, and business skills.
Graduates from this discipline get jobs in logistics companies. They can also administrative jobs, work in network systems, as well as become accountants.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Business Managers have an unemployment rate of 6.0% and their average salary is $71,715.
#11. Architecture
Obtaining a degree in Architecture requires a lot of ambition. You’ll take a lot of tests here and many of them overlap each other. There is a lot of hand drawing required too as well as critical thinking.
You’ll also have to meet difficult deadlines and have professors tell you that your best is yet to come. This can be very frustrating because you know you’re doing your best.
Because coursework here takes a lot of time and involves physics, mathematics, and design it is one of the hardest college majors to pass. Professors will often demand you to take up projects that take months to complete.
In addition, architects need creativity and imagination to find innovative solutions. Therefore, as an architect, you’ll have to be patient to build models and plans.
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Asides from being Architect, you can also work as a project manager with an architecture degree.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Architects have an unemployment rate of 1.3% and their average salary is $77,799.
#12. Mechanical Engineering
A specialization in mechanical engineering requires several math courses. Mechanical engineers often focus on automated and electromechanical systems. They can also design prototypes for mechanical structures and systems or collaborate with manufacturers to implement electronic and mechanical designs.
Mechanical engineering courses focus on topics such as technical mathematics and computer programming. These challenging courses make mechanical engineering one of the hardest majors in college.
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To be successful as a mechanical engineer, you must have at least a bachelor’s degree. You can easily obtain through flexible online programs, however. Also, some states require mechanical engineers to have a license.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Mechanical engineers have an unemployment rate of 3.8% and their average salary is $75,158.
#13. Civil engineering
Professionals in this discipline create and maintain infrastructure projects and systems. They can also work in the public or private sector, design and supervise projects such as public roads and bridges, buildings, and airports.
That you’ll have to take plenty of mathematics and physics courses makes this specialization one of the hardest majors in college.
However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts an 11% increase in this field’s employment by 2026. This is above the national average for all professions.
Meanwhile, Civil engineering students can apply for a series of engineering scholarships to subsidize the cost of their education.
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Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.3.
Also, Civil Engineers have an unemployment rate of 4.5% and their average salary is $86,431.
#14. Computer Science
While computer science is one of the most difficult majors in college, graduates often have lucrative careers. Employment in this field is increasing as the demand for qualified IT professionals increases. Computer careers often take high-level mathematics courses, such as numerical calculation, algorithms, and statistics.
Also, the number of mathematics courses you’ll take and the need to understand different types of programming languages contribute to the difficulty of this specialization.
Graduates in computer science often work as computer technicians, web developers, and Programmers.
Furthermore, the salaries in these fields are generally competitive. This is one of the reasons why computer science students have access to several specific scholarships for their field.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.2.
Also, Computer scientists have an unemployment rate of 5.6% and their average salary is $111,405.
#15. Biology
A specialization in biology prepares you for careers in the medical and scientific fields. Some specializations here pursue higher studies or certifications. Students rank this major as one of the most difficult college majors to pass because its courses generally focus on difficult subjects like chemistry.
Students in this discipline also confirm that it takes a lot of effort to pass with distinctions here.
However, we assume that as the level of difficulty is higher, the profit potential is greater. Even students who choose not to pursue graduate studies in biology have a variety of career options. You may work directly in science or in science education.
Students under this discipline have an average GPA of 3.2.
Also, Biomedical Scientists have an unemployment rate of 4.7% and their average salary is $71,739.
Choosing the Best Major
Now that you are aware of the most difficult and easy disciplines, you should choose the right specialization for you. Instead of focusing on the “harder” or “easier” specialization, reflect on your academic strengths and passion.
Also, when choosing a specialty, consider which area suits your current and future objectives. Think about the career and specialization that can prepare you to find a job.
While some disciplines may be more “difficult” objectively than others, the strengths of each student affect the difficulty of specialization for them personally.
Also, consider logistical factors like cost, class completion time, and advanced degree requirements. Talk to your colleagues, friends, family, and colleagues about your college experiences, and consider contacting an admissions counselor or counselor to discuss key options.
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In Conclusion
The argument about which college major is the hardest and which is the easiest to complete is highly subjective even though an objective view exists. You’ll have to concentrate on other criteria like passion towards a field and employment outlook when selecting a major, rather than the difficulty level. This is because, contrary to popular opinion, the easier a major doesn’t necessarily mean their graduates earn less. However, our post discusses the easiest and hardest majors as a guide for you to make your college decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What you perceive as being difficult just because some persons said so may appear easy to you. However, you need to focus and study hard so as to familiarize yourself with any major at all.
When choosing a major, you have to focus on where your strength and passion lie.
Log onto the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website and get the detailed information regarding your career and job prospect.
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