What kind of job can I get with a major in
 (insert your major here)?

It sounds like a reasonable question.  In fact, it is probably the question in which your parents will be particularly interested if they are paying for any part of your college education. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer for any major.  

Okay, some examples are easy. 
Many graduates will go into careers that seem more directly related to their major:

Major	Job Description
Physiology	Medical Doctor
Public Relations	College Relations, Events Coordinator
Biological Science	Clinical Lab Technician
Art	Illustrator, Graphic Designer
Sociology	Social Service
Political Science	Government Analyst, State House

Others will find careers that rely heavily on the skills they acquired through general education or major courses that may not seem (on the surface) to be directly related to the overall major:

Major	Job Description
Mathematics	Computer Programming, Geophysics field
Geology	Science Librarian, Administrative Services
Psychology	Technical Training Engineer
English	Director, Chamber of Commerce
Zoology	U.S.  Peace Corps
Speech Communication	Human Resources, Recruitment & Staffing

The following is a compilation of some of the types of jobs you are most likely to find based on the departmental majors listed below.  This list groups majors according to general subject areas in order to provide a two types of career options.

1. Typical job opportunities based on major specific knowledge gained, and

2. Opportunities based on skills acquired through the combination of general education, major, and concentrations of course work in the general subject area.

You may jump to the field(s) closest to your interests by clicking on the subject area or one of the actual majors listed as part of a subject area.  Please remember that these lists do not attempt to list all job possibilities.  (For additional career information related to major, please contact the OSU Career and Study Skills Center for a list of services provided by their office.  Links to available Arts and Sciences departmental home pages are provided through the Arts and Sciences Majors page.)

Humanities			Fine Arts	Journalism & Broadcasting
English Foreign Languages History Philosophy			Art Music Theater	Advertising & Sales Broadcast Journalism News-Editorial Public Relations
Social Sciences (1)			Social Sciences (2)	Physical Science
Economics Geography Political Science			Psychology Sociology Speech Communications	Chemistry Geology Physics
Biological Science				Mathematical Science
Biochemistry Biological Sciences Botany Medical Technology	Microbiology/Cell & Molecular Physiology Wildlife/Fisheries Ecology Zoology			Computer Science Mathematics Statistics

H U M A N I T I E S	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	English	Editing Public Relations Advertising	Librarian Writer Journalism	Teacher: Secondary level University level Researcher Government Pre-Professional Preparation Law Medicine Business
	Foreign Languages	Human Services Business Marketing	Journalism Government Foreign Service
	History	Research Government Politics	Museums Universities Administration
	Philosophy	Public Service Private Analysis Theology	Planning Research Writing

F I N E A R T S	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	Art	Design Commercial Art Advertising Merchandising	Printing Galleries Museums Professional Studio Work	Arts Administration Teaching Elementary Secondary University
	Music	Performance Composition Music Publishing	Music Merchandising Music Librarian Church Music
	Theater	Acting Directing Designing	Writing Rec. & Arts Management Technical Production

J O U R N A L I S M	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	Advertising/Sales	Sales Writing Producing	Radio Magazines Television	Aspects of Print and     Broadcast Media Management Research Ownership Media Relations
	Broadcast Journalism	Reporting Copywriting Editing Production Research	Radio Television Directing
	News-Editorial	Reporting Copywriting Editing	Newspapers Magazines
	Public Relations	Brochure Design News Releases Writing	Speeches Promotions

S O C I A L S C I	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	Economics	Management Business Planning Banking	Finance Government Analyst	Teaching Secondary University Pre-Professional Preparation Law Public Administration Business Government Research Administration
	Geography	Government Urban Planning Foreign Service Environmental Analyst Market Research	Location Analyst Remote Sensing Cartographer Weather National Parks
	Political Science	Government Foreign Service Lobbying Intelligence	Administration Int'l Business Journalism Business

S O C I A L S C I	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	Psychology	Personnel Management Quantitative Jobs Human Resources Market Analyst Child Welfare	Social Service Counseling Theology Missionary Psychiatry	Pre-Professional Preparation Law Medicine Government Counselors Coordinators Administration
	Sociology	Social Services Health Care Juvenile Treatment Criminal Justice	Corrections Gerontology Social Work City Mgmt.
	Speech Communication	Business Public Relations Personnel Marketing	Training Management Sales Consulting

P Y S I C A L S C I	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	Chemistry	Public Health Government Product Devp.	Marketing Sales Private Industry	Teaching: Secondary University Research Pre-Professional Preparation Medicine Dentistry Veterinary Law
	Geology	Mineral Exploration Petroleum Rsch. Water Resources Environmental Eng.	Government Private Industry Stratigraphers Geochemistry
	Physics	Engineering Firms Science Firms Applied Mathematics	Government Laboratory Work

B I O L O G I C A L S C I	Major	Major Careers/Fields	Other Related Careers
	Biochemistry	Nutrition Biotechnology Public Health Ag. Experiment Stations Environmental Protection National Park Service Botanical Gardens Conservation Research Zoos/Aquaria Wildlife Management Government Agencies County Health Departments	Pre-Professional Preparation: Medicine Dentistry Pharmacy Veterinary Allied Health Fields Law Teaching: Secondary University Private Industry Consulting Research
	Biological Science
	Botany
	Microbiology Cell & Molecular Biology
	Physiology
	Wildlife/Fisheries Ecology
	Zoology
	Medical Technology	Clinical Technologist

M A T H S C I	Major	Major Careers/Fields		Other Related Careers
	Computer Science	Systems Analysis Research Computer Graphics Technical Writing	Programming Development Security Business	Government Private Industry Research and Development Teaching: Secondary University
	Mathematics	Banking Analysis/Research Aerospace Industry Demography	Engineering Government Robotics
	Statistics	Experimental Planning Data Collection Computer Handling Industry Research	Data Analysis Business Civil Service

For additional career information related to choosing a major, please contact the OSU Career and Study Skills Center for a list of services provided by their office.  Links to available Arts and Sciences departmental home pages can be found through the Arts and Sciences Majors page.

Student Academic Services   |     |   College of Arts and Sciences

Back to Choosing a Major