Study: Some College Degrees Offer Greater Risk Of Unemployment
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – After a long and rocky economic road, many researchers have set out to answer the question, "Is a college degree worth it?"
One study has found that college is worth it, but not all degrees are created equal.
According to researchers from the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, some degrees offer a greater risk of unemployment.
The 2012 study, "Hard Times: Not All College Degrees are Created Equal," found that, overall, unemployment declines and earnings increase as college graduates gain more knowledge and experience, but certain majors like architecture and fine arts have a higher percentage of unemployment.
Researchers say the major groups with the highest rates of unemployment for recent grads are architecture (13.9%), arts (11.1%), humanities and liberal arts (9.4%) and social science (8.9%).
Results show that even as graduates in these fields gain more experience, their unemployment rates are still above other majors, such as health, education and agriculture and natural resources.
According to the study, majors with the lowest unemployment rates for recent grads include health (5.4%), education (5.4%), agriculture and natural resources (7.0%), psychology and social work (7.3%) and communications and journalism (7.3%).
Researchers categorized recent college graduates as 22-26-year-olds and experienced grads as 30-54-year-olds.
To see the full study visit: www9.georgetown.edu.
