Economics, history, business or art - which university subjects lead to the best jobs?

Science and engineering degrees can result in good salaries, but experts say the choice should be about more than potential earnings

Students have been advised to carefully consider university degrees as some offer a clearer path to high salaries than others. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Biology, economics, computer science, medicine, history, media studies, international relations and countless others – the range of subjects to choose from at university may seem bewildering.

Deciding where and what to study is for many young people one of the first big decisions they will have to make in life.

Given the huge investment often involved in going to university, the likely pay-off in terms of salary is for some a key consideration when choosing a subject.

Broadly speaking, many of the best-paying careers are for graduates in Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, said Madhav Juneja, UAE country manager for Crimson Education, which assists students in gaining entry to universities.

“It’s demand and supply,” he said. “The main factor that influences the market wage is the number of people qualified and the number of people needed.

“When you look at the Stem subjects, particularly over the next decade, [considering] careers related to data technology and the rate of scientific advancement, the demand for Stem majors is expected to be very high.”

In the UAE, business degrees are very popular and university leaders in the country have previously said that graduates in these areas have good employment prospects.

The findings of an online portal called the Complete University Guide, although UK-specific, also indicated that Stem subjects lead to good-paying jobs.

Dentistry offered the highest annual starting salary, at £38,000 (Dh179,830, $48,650), followed by medicine (£33,500 or Dh158,457) and veterinary medicine (£31,000 or Dh146,632).

Not far behind were chemical engineering, pharmacology and pharmacy, economics and various engineering fields, including mechanical engineering as well as electrical and electronic engineering. Other highly rated subjects included social work, physics and construction.

Reports last month citing US Census Bureau data offered a similar mix, with medicine, petroleum engineering, zoology (which can be a preparation for veterinary science), pharmacology and economics taking the top five positions.

Next were mathematics, actuarial science and a host of engineering fields, including biomedical and marine.

“It’s definitely a relative challenge for humanities and arts graduates,” Mr Juneja said.

“When they pursue humanities or arts, generally it’s aligned with what they want to do. It’s employability that’s the challenge.”

However, he said that the broad-based liberal arts education in the US could create graduates able to adapt to a changing economy. He also suggested that the arts and humanities were becoming more popular in his native India.

People who have graduated in an arts or humanities subject may improve their employability, he suggested, by taking a course in a technical subject, such as artificial intelligence.

Degrees of underestimation

Non-vocational degree subjects, such as history, are “underestimated”, according to Ann Starkie, a careers adviser in the UK who set up AS Careers.

“There’s nothing to stop someone who has a history degree becoming a financial analyst,” she said, explaining that many major employers carry out psychometric tests to identify the best candidates, so subject knowledge is less important.

Where there can be more difficulties, she said, is with courses linked to particular industries, such as media, but which do not lead to professional qualifications.

“You can get into graduate schemes, but if you are up against someone with a non-[career]-specific degree but from a higher university, they may be at an advantage,” Ms Starkie said.

“Fine arts is a problem because you have to be very talented in things like fine art and photography if you want to go down that route.

“All degrees will give you a great chance longer term of earning more in your lifetime than if you’re a non-graduate, but you have to know where to apply and how to use these graduate skills.”

Last year The National reported the findings of a survey by a US company called ZipRecruiter, in which 87 per cent of journalism graduates said that, given the chance again, they would choose a different subject.

Other subjects high on the list of ones that graduates regret taking were sociology, liberal arts, general studies, communications and education.

Citing analysis by a UK organisation called The Institute for Fiscal Studies, David Hawkins, from The University Guys, which assists students in choosing courses and making applications, said that the relationship between subject choice and salary was not clear-cut.

“It’s very hard to find defined trends which make sense, because every industry is different,” he said.

“It’s much more complex than families consider it to be.”

It may be the case, he said, that “a generic student” taking, say, a degree in computer science at a prestigious university is likely to end up with a well-paying job. But much depends, according to Mr Hawkins, on the individual.

“Are they going to be more or less employable than someone who worked really hard at a less-known university?” he said.

While it may not be the case everywhere, Mr Hawkins said in the UK employers were more likely now to look beyond which institutions applicants attended, including whether they went to a famous school.

In part, he said, this was related to a drive to create more diverse workforces.

One trend he has identified is the increasing popularity among students of courses, taught in English, at European universities.

“Students are very globally mobile,” he said. “Students are looking at European options to find value … there are wonderful opportunities.”

A popular option in the UK is the degree apprenticeship, according to Alan Bullock, who runs the UK-based Alan Bullock Careers and who has given talks to UAE schools.

These involve students studying for one or two days a week at university while working for the rest of the week and earning a salary. It offers a way of earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree without incurring significant debt. Similar programmes run in many countries.

“It’s a serious option at 18 in the UK now,” Mr Bullock said.

“They will have their degree and three or four years’ experience. It certainly gives people a head start and their career prospects are really good.”

Areas popular for degree apprenticeships, Mr Bullock said, include digital technology, accountancy, construction and surveying, management and engineering.

Choose a subject that appeals

While some subjects may not often lead to high-paying careers, a widely given piece of advice to students is to choose a subject that interests them.

“A lot of big employers still recruit from all degree disciplines and are more interested in your skills and qualities than what degree you studied,” Mr Bullock said.

“So I would always encourage students to choose a degree subject that motivates them personally and to build their employability skills and networks whilst doing it.”

Mr Juneja too suggests that students should consider their interests as well as their career prospects when selecting a subject to apply for.

“We want students to think long-term,” he said.

“If a student looks solely at salary, they’re likely to get burnt out if they don’t enjoy what they study … we want to do something that ticks a lot of boxes.”