21 useless degrees and what to study instead

In an ideal world, every college degree would prepare you for a prosperous career, and your investment in college would correspond to your financial returns upon entering the job market. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Many popular majors are associated with low average salaries after graduation, lack of practical application, or poor job prospects – common reasons why people doubt the value of a 4-year degree. In certain fields, particularly within the arts, a bachelor’s degree might not significantly enhance your career, raising questions about the value of investing in higher education for these particular fields.

While your individual goals and interests are an important consideration, choosing one of the following worst college majors could leave you in lots of debt and little hope of repaying it in the future.

1. Dance

Dance majors have the lowest average salaries of all the degrees we analyzed. Unless you get into Juilliard or a handful of other elite schools, a bachelor’s degree will do little to help your career. Becoming a successful professional dancer mainly comes down to hard work, talent, and networking. Also, most dancers’ abilities peak in their 20s, making it risky to spend 4 years earning a degree that could result in lots of debt and uncertain career gains.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

• Unless you get into an ultra-prestigious dance school, consider a different major – all of them have a better return on investment. That way, you’ll finish college with a more practical degree in case you need to supplement your income as a dancer or transition to a new career as you age.
• The other option is to skip college and focus on your technique, finding an agent, and attending as many auditions as you can to gain experience and network.

2. Drama/Theatre

Unless you secure admission to a prestigious institution like the Yale School of Drama, a theatre degree will have little influence on how you’re perceived in the industry. Furthermore, many drama programs don’t adequately cover specific skills and techniques you’ll need in the film and TV business, like motion capture, self-taping, and cold reading.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

• If you are keen on attending college, consider choosing a different major or a double major, such as business and theatre. You can take drama electives to refine your acting skills and get involved in your local community theatre to gain more experience and exposure.
• Alternatively, don’t go to college and instead opt for a professional acting program, like a Meisner Technique course.

3. Music

While a bachelor’s degree may be required in the classical music world, a commercial music career will benefit much more from building a strong portfolio and learning how to market yourself.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

• Getting a college degree can be a good backup plan in case your music career doesn’t pan out, but consider a higher-paying major with broader applications beyond the music industry.
• A general liberal arts degree boasts superior average earnings, at $37,070.
• Instead of going to college, consider concentrating exclusively on your music career for a few years before exploring other possibilities.

4. Photography

Becoming a photojournalist or renowned fashion/art photographer is incredibly rare. You’re most likely to end up doing portrait, landscape, or wedding photography, and it’s estimated that around 60% of photographers quit the business within their first year. If you do make it, the average salary is around $19 per hour.

What to do instead:

• Work on your skills and your portfolio and consider becoming an apprentice photographer. You’ll also need to get very good at self-promotion – Instagram and word of mouth are the 2 main ways photographs find clients.
• Consider a Bachelors in Design and Applied Arts (average earnings: $38,895) to broaden your skillset.
• An associate degree in photography – which will cost you about half as much in time and money as a bachelor’s – is another option.

5. Fine and Studio Arts

Success as an artist hinges on factors such as training, dedication, talent, and effective self-promotion. Attending a prestigious institution like the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) may help, but even at RISD, only the most exceptional students tend to achieve significant success in the art world. Additionally, it’s worth noting the disparity in average earnings for different disciplines at RISD: $46,057 for Design and Applied Arts; $50,439 for Architecture; and just $27,562 for Fine/Studio Art.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

• For hands-on experience in the art world, explore apprenticeships with artists, curators, galleries, nonprofit organizations, art publications, and more.
• Consider a Design and Applied Arts major (average salary: $38,895), which offers a more versatile, interdisciplinary skill set than a studio arts degree.

6. Anthropology

While anthropology is rich in academic and cultural insights, its broad nature can make it challenging to find specialized jobs without further education. Becoming a professional anthropologist, archeologist, or linguist will usually require a doctorate. This bachelor’s, one of the easiest majors by average GPA, may leave you intellectually satisfied but professionally adrift.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

Take some anthropology electives to satisfy your interests, but consider majoring in one of these adjacent fields instead:

• Sociology (average salary: $37,718)

Sociology and anthropology both study human societies, but sociology focuses on modern rather than pre-industrial cultures.

• International/Global Studies (average salary: $39,317)

Global Studies is an interdisciplinary program that examines global issues, with some similarities to anthropology in terms of its cultural focus. However, the emphasis is on contemporary global issues and international relations.

• Liberal Arts (average salary: $37,070)

A liberal arts major can include anthropology classes but offers a broader education across a range of humanities and social science subjects.

7. Philosophy

Philosophy is a fantastic major for developing critical thinking, logic, and writing skills. Unfortunately, it has no clear application after college unless you continue on to grad school.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

Philosophical approaches are at the root of many academic disciplines. If you’re not planning on going to grad school, consider one of the following majors:

• Bioethics/Medical Ethics (average earnings: $48,915)

Ethics is a branch of philosophy; bioethics students examine ethical issues arising from advancements in biology, medicine, and technology.

• Political Science (average earnings: $43,353)

Once called political philosophy, this major focuses on the study of governments, political systems, and the processes shaping policy, power, and public opinion in societies.

• Liberal arts (average earnings: $37,070)

This broad major explores diverse topics such as history, literature, philosophy, psychology, and more.

8. Psychology

Psychology frequently ranks among the top 5 most popular majors, yet earnings 3 years after graduation are in the bottom 20% of all programs. This may be partly because the main associated careers – therapist and psychologist – are only accessible with a graduate degree.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

If you want to become a psychologist, remember that you don’t need a bachelor’s in psychology to get an advanced psych degree. Depending on your career goals, consider one of these alternatives:

• Social Work (average earnings: $36,822)

Although it boasts only marginally higher earnings, this major has immediate career application upon graduation – you can become a social worker or earn an accelerated master’s in 1 year to become a therapist.

• Human Resources (average earnings: $47,348)

The skills learned in this major are grounded in psychological principles but are more immediately applicable to a career in HR straight after graduation.

• Marketing (average earnings: $50,436)

This versatile business degree draws on psychological insights as applied to consumer behavior and decision-making processes.

• Cognitive science (average earnings: $47,315)

If you’re strong in math and science, consider this specialized branch of psychology focused on brain science. Becoming a cognitive scientist will require a graduate degree, but you can earn a much better salary with this specialized bachelor’s than a general psych degree.

9. Health/Medical Preparatory Programs

These programs prepare students for admission to med school and other health/medical programs like dentistry and pharmacy. However, pre-med and pre-health students don’t need this major as long as they take the right prerequisites.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

As a pre-med student, you can major in anything, but STEM fields are recommended. Although biology is among the most popular choices, it may not be the wisest, as we explain below; consider chemistry (earnings: $42,795) or physics (earnings: $47,001) instead. The following majors offer more practical training in case you change your mind about med school:

• Allied Health Diagnostic/Treatment Professions (average earnings: $56,551)
• Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research (average earnings: $59,172)
• Nursing (average earnings: $72,513)

10. Biology

After zoology and botany, biology offers the lowest earnings of all STEM majors, and falls in the bottom 23% of all majors. The limited job prospects after graduation could be a contributing factor – pursuing a career as a scientist often necessitates graduate education, and the general nature of a biology degree may not equip students with a specific set of abilities for immediate employment.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

Specialized degrees are generally more likely to provide a practical skillset. Consider a more focused biology-adjacent major, such as:

• Human Biology (earnings: $40,211)
• Soil Science (earnings: $48,043)
• Biotechnology (earnings: $46,436)
• Biomathematics and Computational Biology (earnings: $58,584)
• Biomedical Engineering (earnings: $68,734)

11. Criminal Justice

A criminal justice degree may promise higher earnings than other majors on this list, but it’s vital to recognize the difference between expectations and reality. This major can seem exciting due to TV portrayals, but police or correctional officer roles don’t usually require a degree. On the other hand, paths like law school or federal agency employment, including the FBI, can be pursued without a criminal justice background.

The numbers:

What to do instead:

For a job with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or related agencies, consider a bachelor’s in homeland security (average earnings: $49,932). If you plan on applying to law school, choose a higher-ROI degree. The American Bar Association lists problem solving, critical reading, writing, and oral communication as key skills for law school. The following better-paid majors are a good way to strengthen those skills:

• Public Policy Analysis (average salary: $48,872)
• Public Administration (average salary: $47,783)
• Political Science and Government (average salary: $43,353)
• Public Relations and Applied Communication (average salary: $46,178)
• Economics (average salary: $60,396)
• Business/Corporate Communications (average salary: $48,297)

Worst majors: the runners-up

The following majors are available at fewer than 100 colleges, but we list them here due to their poor economic performance:

Maximizing the value of your degree

Remember that your major can be even more important than the school you attend. While it’s crucial to follow your interests and passions, being strategic and considering potential debt is equally important.

Even at a high-value school like CUNY City College, average earnings vary greatly between majors, with Music ($18,764), Liberal Arts ($39,718), and Mechanical Engineering ($78,361) illustrating the range.

If you’ve got your heart set on a specific major, like drama, make sure you pick a school that gives you the best bang for your buck. Check out the University of Notre Dame with the highest overall drama earnings ($49,740) or CUNY Queens College for the best value ($37,087). But be careful – some schools, like Marymount Manhattan College in NY, might leave you struggling with a $25,766 paycheck and a whopping 120-year payback period.

Ultimately, balancing passion with practicality is the key to making an informed decision on your educational journey.