Degrees Employers Hate And Love

Wondering which college degrees employers are looking for - and which don't stand out as much? Keep reading to learn more.

By Terence Loose

Are you considering returning to school and want to earn a degree that's attractive to future employers?



Now is a good time to be practical about what you study, says Susan Heathfield, About.com's Human Resources Guide.

"With the unemployment situation the way it is right now, I would be considering what degree to get more closely than any other time in history," says Heathfield. "If you want to be employable in this economy and the future, you have to have valuable skills."

With that in mind, we asked Heathfield what degrees employers might love - and which could make them frown.

We also consulted Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, and his department's 2012 study called "Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings." With the subheadline "Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal," this report studied the unemployment rates for recent (aged 22 to 26) and experienced (aged 30 to 54) college graduates in various majors.

Using the U.S. Department of Labor's most recent U.S. unemployment rate of 8.1 percent (April 2012), we considered unemployment rates above 8.1 percent as bad, and rates below 8.1 percent as good.

Keep that in mind as you learn more about college majors employers love and hate.