What Degrees Might Hiring Managers Be Looking For?

If you’re considering starting your career soon, and looking at which degrees correlate to job placement, you are not alone.

Degree programs are an investment of your time and resources, with the goal of having a stable, fulfilling career. Naturally, you should do ample research before embarking on a career path.

It may not surprise you to learn that degrees in fields such as computer science, accounting, business administration, finance, and engineering topped the list in a study done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

What Degrees Are Employers Looking For?

In a 2018 study by NACE, conducted with 201 companies, the number of respondents that said they would hire candidates with an undergraduate degree had these percentages^[1].

Degree	# of Respondents That Will Hire	% of Respondents That Will Hire
Finance	86	65.2%
Accounting	80	60.6%
Business Administration/Management	78	59.1%
Computer Science	73	55.3%
Marketing	67	50.8%
Management Information Systems	66	50.0%
Information Sciences & Systems	64	48.5%
Logistics/Supply Chain	64	48.5%
Sales	60	45.5%
Human Resources	60	45.5%

Source: Job Outlook 2018, National Association of Colleges and Employers

Interestingly, these trends followed suit similarly up to the graduate degree level, as the surveyed employers favored these degrees at the graduate degree level (Master’s) in this order:

Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Information Science & Systems
Business Administration
Accounting

What Does the Job Market Look Like in 2022 and 2023?

The job market looks favorable for college graduates, as employers look to fill positions following the COVID years of 2019-2022.

NACE reports that employers plan to hire 31.6% more recent college graduates in 2022 than they did in 2021.

About 56% of respondents to NACE’s Job Outlook 2022 survey indicate that they will increase their college hire numbers and an additional 41% of employers plan to keep those hires. Less than 4% will decrease their number of college hires.

What Degrees are In Demand from Students?

According to data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, about 1 million Associate degrees and 2 million Bachelor’s degrees were conferred in 2019-20 in the United States.

The most popular undergraduate degrees (Associates and Bachelor’s combined) in 2019-20 were as follows:

Business – 500,000 degrees
Healthcare – 429,500 degrees
Liberal Arts and Humanities – 402,700 degrees
Social Sciences and History – 161,200 degrees
Engineering – 128,320 degrees
Biological and Biomedical services – 126,600 degrees
Psychology – 120,000 degrees

What Degrees Do Students Regret the Least?

A 2022 study by ProWritingAid using data from the US Department of Education showed that the degrees that students had the least regret about earning were topped by these six:

Computer Science and Math – 13%
Business Administration – 16%
Engineering – 16%
Health Administration / Assisting – 18%
Community Services – 19%
Health Sciences and Technology – 19%
Repair, Production, or Construction – 19%

As you can see, the programs with the least student regret also closely correlate with degree programs that hiring managers look for and degree programs in demand.

Get a Degree to Start Your Career

If you are ready to take the first step towards your career, Campus, formerly known as MTI College, offers a variety of degree programs in the online, hybrid, and traditional on-campus formats. Students will graduate with the necessary skills to work at entry-level positions in their corresponding field.

Campus is currently offering degree programs in Information Technology, Business, and Paralegal Studies.

Since 1965, we’ve continued our tradition of sending qualified graduates into successful careers all throughout Northern California.

For more information on any of our degree programs, diploma programs, or certificate programs, contact our friendly Admissions team at (916) 339-1500.

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