Are STEM majors harder? (2024)

Are STEM majors harder?

STEM majors, on average, spend 16.5 hours preparing for class (doing homework, lab work or reading) compared to humanities, who spend just 14 hours per week. That means STEM majors work more than 17 percent harder on homework than humanities.

Are STEM students smarter? There is no evidence that STEM students are smarter than other students. However, they have numerous advantages in higher education, career choice, the job market, and quality of life.

Studying science seems to be more difficult than the humanities, but that involves different factors such as: class hours, topics and motivation. Studying sciences (mathematics, physics, etc) is difficult, but humanities (literature, economy, sociology…) are a labor, too.

“One of the challenges of being a STEM student in SHS is the amount of workload and information one has to process. Science and Math have always been considered difficult subjects, which means having a strand that is focused on the two is difficult as well.”

Management science is the easiest stem major. And the job opportunities are endless. With this major you are not limited to any specific industry.

Law. Law is officially the hardest subject to get a first class degree in⁴, so we all know it's hard going. If you think you know what it's like to have a lot of reading, go and talk to a Law student.

Physics, Mathematical Sciences and Philosophy are among the majors with the highest IQs in America, according to research. University data experts at Educational Testing Service have ranked the top majors based on their IQ – Physics and Astronomy come out on top with 133.

In studies conducted on the subject of students leaving STEM, it was found that the quality of STEM faculty teaching and accessibility was the main factor that was significantly related to students' intention to switch or drop out STEM majors (Xu, 2018).

A STEM degree is certainly worth it. Although pursuing a STEM degree is challenging you will get awesome benefits by doing so. A STEM degree will improve your chances of being employable, increase your earning potential, and teach you valuable skills that are useful in many different fields.

How many hours do STEM majors study?

Study Hours

If you're considering a STEM major, you can plan on spending about 20 hours studying each week, according to a 2011 study by the National Survey of Student Engagement.

Based on extensive data analysis from student responses compiled by The National Survey Engagement and The Tab, we can conclude STEM majors study more hours per week, pull more all-nighters in the library, and feel more stressed out over work.

Some reasons are: STEM faculty are among the toughest graders, even if they do not teach the classes that have the most demanding workloads. Grade inflation is less prevalent in the STEM majors than in any other majors on campus. Grading on a curve is more common in STEM classes than in non-STEM classes.

STEM education teaches students how to solve problems by using their critical thinking skills. By engaging in STEM learn experiences, students learn how to examine problems and then create a plan to solve them.

Physics, Mathematical Sciences and Philosophy are among the majors with the highest IQs in America, according to research. University data experts at Educational Testing Service have ranked the top majors based on their IQ – Physics and Astronomy come out on top with 133.

The average cumulative GPA of all undergraduate students on campus as of Fall 2021 is 3.33. Students in the above-listed STEM departments have a mean GPA of 3.39; higher than the campus-wide average. First-year students campus-wide have lower average cumulative GPAs than seniors, almost without fail.

STEM majors, on average, spend 16.5 hours preparing for class (doing homework, lab work or reading) compared to humanities, who spend just 14 hours per week. That means STEM majors work more than 17 percent harder on homework than humanities.