What Are The Hardest STEM Majors? (2024)

FAQs

What Are The Hardest STEM Majors? ›

Geological engineering is considered one of the hardest STEM majors because it combines elements of various disciplines, including geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, and engineering. It also requires a strong understanding of math and physics and the ability to analyze and interpret complex data sets.

Geological engineering is considered one of the hardest STEM majors because it combines elements of various disciplines, including geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, and engineering. It also requires a strong understanding of math and physics and the ability to analyze and interpret complex data sets.

#1 Chemistry

According to the average Grade Point Average of students in the program, Chemistry wins the prize title hardest major. A Chemistry major overlaps somewhat with biology, but chemistry extends beyond living things.

STEM majors can be challenging, but their rigor shouldn't stop you from pursuing one. Expect to take a variety of foundational science, math and computer courses. In your program, you'll be asked to apply critical thinking, data analysis and complex problem-solving skills to a variety of projects and experiments.

According to the annual National Survey of Student Engagement, software engineering, computer science and astronomy majors enjoy the least stressful college experience, and spend the most time relaxing and socializing, including hanging out with friends, playing video games and going online.

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering

These two are often the least popular engineering specialties to major in, which can make them easier to get into, especially compared to more competitive engineering degrees like computer science.

Geoscience is one of the least diverse STEM fields.

Science majors tend to have lower GPAs on average, with chemistry being the major with the lowest average GPA. Meanwhile, education majors earn the highest GPAs on average.

What is a good STEM GPA? ›

The average grades in STEM courses tend to be higher in upper-level courses. The average GPA earned in STEM courses is lower than the cumulative GPA of STEM majors. In biology, the average GPA in 100 level courses is 3.01, in 200 level courses it is 3.14, and in 300 level courses it is 3.39.

For various reasons, a significant proportion of students who initially intend to study STEM fields abandon them several years later. A recent study found that a total of 56 percent of postsecondary students who declared STEM majors in their freshman year left these fields over the next 6 years (Chen 2009).

Many people are striving to understand the cause for the attrition, particularly for students of color and women. According to a White House report (PDF, 1.1MB), it seems that students leave STEM because of the uninviting atmosphere, difficult weed-out classes, and STEM courses that do not show their relevancy.

Majors like computer science and agriculture that require technical skills and an extensive math background usually have the highest dropout rates. In addition, many students drop out due to the coursework and rigorous requirements of the major.

The report highlighted troubling issues in a number of areas: low STEM retention rates, a relative decline in the number of U.S. citizens enrolled in science and engineering graduate school, and lower percentages of STEM graduates than those of other developed countries.

As STEM degrees continue to rise at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, degrees in arts and humanities are declining at an alarming rate. Between 2009 and 2015, the number of STEM majors in bachelor's, master's, and doctorate programs grew by 43 percent, while humanities majors declined by 0.4 percent.

Psychology is commonly thought of as the easiest of the science majors thanks to its relative lack of complex math, although psych majors can still expect to do a fair amount of statistical analysis on their way to a degree.

What is the most popular STEM subject? ›

The second-hardest college major and hardest engineering major is chemical engineering; students in this field spend an average of 19 hours and 40 minutes a week preparing for class.

After being admitted with a 3.0 or higher grade-point average (GPA), you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to be considered in good academic standing. If your GPA falls below 2.0, you are in poor academic standing.

The average self-reported unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale was 3.94. Fifty-four percent of students reported a perfect 4.0, and the lowest score reported was a 3.0.

The lowest-paying college majors are in areas such as theology, social services, the performing arts, education, and leisure and hospitality, the data shows.

Is a 5.0 GPA impressive? ›

Admission to the most prestigious schools is typically limited to students who rank in the top 5% of their class and have high GPAs. Therefore, this article is about one of the highest scores, 5.0 GPA. It is an outstanding score a handful of students can achieve.

The average high school GPA of admitted students at Harvard is around 4.2. 73% of students had a GPA of at least 4.0, indicating that admitted students typically mostly earned A grades in high school. If you're studying the IB, this translates to scoring mostly 7s and achieving a minimum score of at least 42.

Normally, you would expect the highest score to be the 'perfect' 4.0 score, however, there are several things that a student can do to receive an even higher score. For example, one student actually managed to get a 10.03 GPA score. He did this by taking 17 advanced classes at his school, which awarded him many points.

“It's not about interest or academic ability. So what causes this?” The researchers suggest that because black and Latino students are more likely to come from low-income families, they might not have access to the academic resources that traditionally help support students through to completion.

The Demand for STEM Workers

The US alone will have to fill nearly 3.5 million STEM jobs by 2025, in areas such as computing, engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Whether it be in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics, the high demand for STEM skills is fairly universal.

According to the American Engineering Association, STEM graduates earn about 87% more than non-STEM graduates. Even STEM majors who eventually work in non-STEM occupations earn more than their counterparts who do not hold STEM degrees.

The reasons range from peer pressure, to a lack of role models and support from parents as well as teachers, to a general misperception of what STEM careers look like in the real world.

One in ten changed majors more than once. In addition, the study found that students in STEM fields are about 6 percent more likely to change majors than non-STEM students.

STEM workers with a bachelor's degree or higher have a median salary that is 47% greater than that of non-STEM workers with a bachelor's degree or higher. The STW earns 60% more at the median than non-STEM workers without a bachelor's degree. Share Median salaries, by workforce and education level: 2019.

Which major has the most graduates? ›

The most popular college majors in the United States are business, health, and social sciences, according to data from the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES). Of the 2 million bachelor's degrees conferred in the US during the 2019-2020 school year, these three majors made up almost 40 percent.

Computer sciences and business and administrative studies are among the degree subjects with the highest drop-out rates; with around nine per cent of students dropping out by their second year.

Information security jobs are No. 1 for the second year in a row. This profession also ranked as the fastest-growing STEM job in our study. The BLS predicted a 34.7% increase in employment between 2021 and 2031.

Things like building a go-cart, designing your own R/C airplane, building a line-following robot, or re-designing your vehicle's suspension are good examples.

Many scholars and policymakers have noted that the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have remained predominantly male with historically low participation among women since the origins of these fields in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment.

Algebra, Geometry, Calculus and Statistics & Probability are considered to be the 4 main branches of Mathematics. What is the hardest branch of Maths? Algebra is the hardest branch of Maths. Abstract algebra particularly is the most difficult portion as it includes complex and infinite spaces.

As a general rule, most students find biology easier except, they may be required to memorize more information. Chemistry is usually more difficult, especially the labs, because they require a better understanding of mathematics, especially error analysis.

But before you reap the fruits, you will have to work hard and focus more than other college students first. College majors in the STEM field tend to be the most stressful, such as engineering and architecture.

Are STEM majors harder than business majors? ›

While all majors are not easy. All are difficult in some degree, overall the STEM majors tend to be harder than business majors. I am not saying the statistics that must be learned in a business major is easy and if one gets a Masters in Business Information Systems the math is downright scary.

If you enjoy math and science and are genuinely interested in chemistry, AP Chemistry will be an easier class for you than it would be for someone who would rather never look at a math problem again. Chemistry is more technical and math-centric than AP Biology is.

Chemistry generally has greater emphasis on mathematical concepts and lab work than biology does, which is why it's typically taken sophom*ore year.

Discrimination and bias in science and technology often hinder minority students' academic success, Riegle-Crumb said. Researchers considered, too, that black and Latino students are more likely to come from low-income families and have less access to academic resources that help prepare students for college.

Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.

For various reasons, a significant proportion of students who initially intend to study STEM fields abandon them several years later. A recent study found that a total of 56 percent of postsecondary students who declared STEM majors in their freshman year left these fields over the next 6 years (Chen 2009).

10 most-regretted majors: After graduation, 'reality hits'

Journalism, sociology, communications and education all topped the list of most-regretted college majors, according to ZipRecruiter's survey of more than 1,500 college graduates who were looking for a job.

But why do STEM jobs, like engineering, earn so much more on average than non-STEM jobs? One common explanation is that engineering jobs are in high demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that 140,000 new engineering jobs would be created between 2016-2026.

STEM workers with a bachelor's degree or higher have a median salary that is 47% greater than that of non-STEM workers with a bachelor's degree or higher. The STW earns 60% more at the median than non-STEM workers without a bachelor's degree. Share Median salaries, by workforce and education level: 2019.