Fastest Growing College Degrees for 2017
College Degrees with over 100% Growth
You may be surprised to learn the 12 fastest growing college degree programs are not the most popular programs. In fact, the fastest growing college degree program in the United States only had fifty-seven graduates nationwide. Yes, the single fastest growing college degree program was Vision Science up a whopping 229% year over year.
The two largest programs by number of graduates was Multimedia/Intermedia and Security & Loss Prevention Services. It is no shock to see the Multimedia college degree programs growing at a rapid rate with the demand for this discipline surging in the marketplace. The most popular degree in Multimedia was the bachelor’s degree track and schools can be found here.
The Security & Loss Prevention Services degree program had a nearly 150% increase in awards year over year. In light of the growing emphasis on cybersecurity and cyberterrorism, this program is likely to continue growing at a rapid rate for the foreseeable future. Also worth noting, this program is offered as a 1-2 certificate program and has grown 1,000% year over year.
Degree YOY % Change in Degrees Awarded
Vision Science/Physiological Optics 229%
Architectural & Building Science 212%
Engineering-Related Fields 156%
Flagging & Traffic Control 154%
Animal Behavior & Ethology 149%
Security & Loss Prevention 146%
Multimedia/Intermedia 114%
Deaf Studies 113%
Air Transportation 108%
International Communication 106%
Computer Hardware Engineering 104%
What does this data mean to you?
It depends, quite frankly. If you are intent on making a career in an associated degree program like vision science, architecture, or a field of engineering then it makes a huge difference. This data can be used as motivation to get into an associated degree program or encouragement for those already in that particular degree path.
For students in a slower growing field, it may not be a huge impact but valuable information to help educate others. It is also worth noting that this data changes year over year and it is far more important to find a field of study you really love versus chasing the top degree program on the list.
Next year the data will change and create a new energy around the fastest growing college degree programs on our lists. To find the perfect college degree for you, utilize our proprietary matching system using your personal criteria found here or manually sort degree programs from a list found only with MatchCollege.
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