What's the Best Undergrad Major?

With increased concern about employment after graduation, more students are focusing not only about where they are getting their degree, but also about what they're getting it in. Different majors have different employment outlooks. If you're most concerned with getting a job directly out of school, nursing and education appear to be the best degrees, according to 50 Best College Majors for a Secure Future by Laurence Shatkin, which was published this month.

But it may not be as straightforward as you think. For students interested in going to law school, for example, Michael Nieswiadomy of the University of North Texas recently published a study of the undergrad majors that scored best on the LSAT. Brought to us via TaxProf Blog, the best-scoring majors are physics and math, economics and philosophy and theology--not your typical majors for employment. The LSAT may just be a test, but there is a correlation between scoring well on the LSAT and scoring a job after earning your JD.

College isn't meant to just prepare you for your first job after graduation. It's to prepare you for your career and your life. So when choosing a major, it's important think about the long term, and not just your first job offer.