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‘Hot’ majors can help shape students’ futures

Look to the job market when choosing a college major, some experts say.

Demand is creating several “very hot” majors right now, said Carl E. Van Horn, director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.

Nursing

Baby boomers who became nurses are expected to start retiring soon, and the aging of America also points the way to jobs now and in the future.

“As people grow older and live longer, the support services, such as social services, nurses, home care aides, any position that manages or supervises those positions, I think will be a growth industry,” said William Hill, assistant dean of placement and student employment at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J.

Mathematics

“It relates to so many things, and we have a huge undersupply of mathematicians in this country,” Van Horn said.

Many math majors are foreign students who return home after college and don’t become a part of the U.S. labor market, he said. To get the best mathematics jobs, students need to get a master’s degree or a Ph.D., he said.

Science

Employers are hiring scientists, including those who specialize in life science, physics and chemistry. Potential jobs include working in a testing lab or in the biotech industry.

“Even in the sales area, pharmaceutical [companies] would rather have a person with a science background and a business interest as opposed to someone who is a business person and doesn’t know science,” Van Horn said.

Computer science, engineering

Companies still are developing hardware and software, said Hill: “Technology hasn’t slowed down one bit.”

Foreign languages

Global companies and the federal government are seeking people with an expertise in languages, such as Chinese and Arabic, Van Horn said.

Economics and accounting

Accountants are needed as businesses work to comply with the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley corporate accountability law, Van Horn said.

Liberal arts

While the job market is hot for nurses, mathematicians and linguists, most employers still are looking for students with liberal arts degrees, said Rob Franek, vice president and publisher of The Princeton Review. Liberal arts majors learn how to speak and write competently and to work well in groups — all attractive characteristics for employers, Franek said.

“If you study literary criticism, that helps your critical thinking skills, and it teaches you how to write,” Van Horn said. “Then you have to figure out some way to apply those skills ... to get paid.” Ë