African Americans: College Majors and Earnings

African Americans: College Majors and Earnings

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  African Americans: College Majorsand Earnings Anthony P. Carnevale, Megan L. Fasules, Andrea Porter, Jennifer Landis-Santos February 9, 2016
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  Overview •  Access tocollege for African Americans has increased, but African Americans are highly concentrated in lower-paying majors •  African Americans, who represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, are underrepresented in the number of degree holders in college majors associated with the fastest-growing, highest-paying occupations— STEM, health, and business
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  Since 2009, AfricanAmericans have gained ground in social sciences, psychology and social work, and health
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  Earnings vary greatlyamong college majors •  African Americans who earned a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM related major, such as architecture or engineering, can earn as much as 50 percent more than African Americans who earned a Bachelor’s degree in art or psychology and social work
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  Architecture and engineeringis the major group with the highest median earnings for African Americans with a Bachelor’s degree
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  Majors and earnings AfricanAmericans account for 12 percent of all Bachelor’s degree holders who majored in psychology and social work, and only 5 percent of architecture and engineering majors
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  African American representationis low in the fastest-growing fields African Americans who majored in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences and administration have the highest median earnings at $84,000
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  National top tenmedian earnings for African Americans with Bachelor's degrees
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  African Americans tendto be overrepresented in low-earning majors Majors associated with serving the community, including human services and community organization (20%) and social work (19%), are highly represented
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  Conclusion •  Careful careerplanning is especially crucial for all African American students to help them avoid debt and underemployment later in life •  African Americans who choose majors in well-paying, growing fields are likely to be better positioned to get higher paying jobs, acquire less student debt and nurture future generations
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  For more information: EmailUs | cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu Follow Us on Twitter | @GeorgetownCEW Find us on Facebook | Facebook.com/GeorgetownCEW Follow us on LinkedIn | linkedin.com/company/georgetowncew See the full report at: cew.georgetown.edu/africanamericanmajors