Unemployment rates seem to be driving students' choice of major

Armed with an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and a passion for the dramatic, Kendall Lloyd entered graduate school for theater arts three years ago in the middle of a recession and escalating unemployment.

“When I came into grad school, I was going to avoid the big economic crisis,” said Lloyd, 29, “but it's only gotten worse, and now I'm going back into it.”

Students like Lloyd who graduate with a theater major have a more difficult time landing a job in today's economy than many other college majors, according to a Wall Street Journal report of unemployment rates associated with 173 college majors.

Clinical psychology has the highest unemployment rate at 19.5 percent, according to the Journal, which cites the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce as a contributing source. Miscellaneous fine arts, like theater, had the second-highest unemployment rate with 16.5 percent.

Six majors have a 0 percent unemployment rate, including actuarial science, educational administration, astronomy and geophysical engineering.

Lloyd, a third-year UI graduate student with a wife and a baby on the way, said he's stressed about re-entry into the workforce.

“I came into it knowing it was super challenging to make a living,” he said, “but it's what I love to do.”

Students seem split on what drives them to pursue one career path over another. Some don't seem to care about unemployment rates and simply follow their interests.

Psychology, for example, remains among the most popular majors at Iowa's largest universities.

“I believe that if you do what you love to do, it pays off,” said UI freshman Devon Henderson, 18, a psychology major.

Other students are keenly aware of which majors are in demand and pick accordingly. Some students are lucky enough to have their interests align with employable careers, like Alan Driggs, 23, a first-year UI graduate student studying actuarial science.

“Actuarial science related a lot to what I was interested in,” Driggs said. “Being employable is a plus, but it's not necessarily the reason I chose to do it.”

Still, said program coordinator Margie Ebert, interest in the major has boomed since the economy began its slump.

“We have seen the numbers really jumping off the page,” Ebert said, “and a lot of our students who are seniors and who are set to graduate in May already have jobs lined up.”

In addition to the UI's actuarial science majors, 187 students are listed as pre-actuarial science. Five years ago, Ebert said, that number was 57. Instructor Jerome Pansera said classes have swelled so much that the department has added sections and courses.

Conversely, there has been a gradual decline in student interest in theater, said UI Alan MacVey, chairman of the Theatre Arts Department.

“The economy is certainly an issue that parents and students are thinking about,” MacVey said. “I think that the continuing recession has changed the mindset of a lot of people. Not surprisingly, it's made people more worried about getting a job.”

Theater majors, he said, are solid liberal arts majors who land jobs inside and outside the acting arena, and the department has ramped up recruiting efforts to inform prospective students about all the opportunities a theater major offers. MacVey said his department also is forming new partnerships with various departments to make it easier for students to pair a theater degree with other courses or majors.

“But I'm concerned about the economy as it affects arts and artists everywhere,” he said.

The Wall Street Journal report also rated college majors based on popularity and found little connection with unemployment figures. Four of the five least popular college majors have a 0 percent unemployment rate, for example, and the most popular major - business administration and management - has a 6 percent unemployment rate.

Agricultural-related majors, with their low unemployment numbers, are growing in popularity, said Mike Retallick, assistant professor in agricultural education and studies at Iowa State University. Enrollment into ISU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is nearing an all-time high as the “green revolution” gains steam, Retallick said.

“The science and technology behind the agriculture industry is really growing leaps and bounds,” he said.

Retallick said ISU added courses and even a new major to address expanding agricultural opportunities. Students now can earn a degree in global resource systems, which deals with international agricultural issues related to food systems.

“Careers will change and evolve with technology,” Retallick said. “There will be lots of opportunities for students.”

Katelyn Wazny, who earned a master's degree in library and information science from the UI in 2009, said her major was more difficult to use.

“It took a lot of looking,” Wazny, 27, said. “My first job was in a library doing something that did not require a degree.”

In August, Wazny began working as the head of reference for the Stewart Memorial Library at Coe College and said she's glad she pursued library science, even though employment wasn't assured.

“I know the market is competitive, and I feel very lucky to be in the job that I'm in,” she said, offering this advice for students considering a major with a less optimistic employment outlook.

“If you pursue something you're passionate about, take some jobs that are not as much fun and work hard. It can work out,” she said, “but it takes a lot of persistence.”

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