Choosing a major is a big decision for a lot of students. Students want to enjoy college and not have to worry about being at the library at all hours of the day. Our list of the easiest college majors uses data from actual students to find the easiest majors.
Some students may choose to study an easy college major but it is important to choose a major that is interesting to you and something that you can make a career out of.
All majors will require time and effort so do not pick a major just because you think it will be easy – you will regret this once you graduate. Find out the easiest college majors below.
You can also find the hardest college majors here.
Easiest College Majors
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| wdt_ID | Rank | College Major | Average GPA | Average Retention Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Music Composition | 3.77 | 99% |
| 2 | 2 | Art History | 3.44 | 91% |
| 3 | 3 | Women and Gender Studies | 3.38 | 90% |
| 4 | 4 | Linguistics | 3.33 | 91% |
| 5 | 5 | Dance | 3.59 | 87% |
| 6 | 6 | Accounting | 3.32 | 91% |
| 7 | 7 | Visual Communications | 3.36 | 89% |
| 8 | 8 | Classics | 3.35 | 89% |
| 9 | 9 | Journalism | 3.31 | 90% |
| 10 | 10 | Management Information Systems | 3.23 | 94% |
Want to Learn More About College Majors?
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See which college majors pay the best along with a complete list of every college major.
It is important for students to examine their own skills when deciding on their college major. Some students may be good at math and science, while other students may be better at reading and writing. By examining your abilities, students can eliminate majors that may be very challenging for them. What may be hard for one student might not be challenging to another student.
Students should not be afraid to challenge themselves. If you are passionate about something and really want to pursue a career in that field, do it. Do not let a little hard work deter you from doing something your passionate about. Working towards a hard college major will be easier if you are passionate about it versus doing an easy college major that you do not care about.
With that being said, some majors may require a little more time and effort than other majors. Were not going to lie, a marketing degree will be easier to get than a civil engineering degree due to the fact that civil engineering is one of the hardest majors out there. This is a more straightforward example, what about geography versus political science?
Easiest College Majors
Music Composition Major
Find out the easiest college majors. Coming in at number one was music composition. Students who major in music composition will focus on various forms of music and how to best compose them. Students should be passionate about music, have a sense of curiosity and be creative.
Music composition is a great major for students who aren’t exactly sure what they want to do with music. Students go on to be band managers, publishers, and music producers. Overall, music composition is one of the easiest majors in college.
| Music Composer | |
| Average GPA | 3.77 |
| Average Salary | $51,670 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 2% |
Art History Major
As an art history major, you will learn how to study and analyze various works of art. Students will learn research, critical thinking, and communication skills while working towards their degree in art history.
Student who earn a degree in art history can wind up in various careers like teaching, working in a museum, or working for an art gallery. Students should have a passion for the arts, be creative, and self-motivated.
| Museum Curator | |
| Average GPA | 3.44 |
| Average Salary | $49,850 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 11% |
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Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Majors
This field is always evolving based on current events and issues that take place. This major takes a look at how systems of oppression, resistance and privilege operate. Students in this major will learn the importance of gender and sexuality as a means of analysis.
Students may choose to concentrate in a certain area when choosing women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Some concentration areas include race, sexuality and social justice, culture and representation, and institutions and economies.
There are so many different job opportunities for students in this major – below is just ONE example.
| Social Worker | |
| Average GPA | 3.38 |
| Average Salary | $50,470 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 13% |
Linguistics Major
Linguistics consists of the scientific study of languages. Some common topics in this major include children and how they learn languages, the variation of languages, how languages influence the way we interact with others, and the structure of languages. Some common courses a linguistics major will take include phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Per usual, coursework will depend on the school and program you enroll in.
Linguistics majors will have many different career opportunities post-graduation. Some different opportunities include working in education, translating, teaching foreign languages, or journalism. Another potential opportunity could be working with technology companies developing speech recognition software because of your background in linguistics.
| Speech-Language Pathologists | |
| Average GPA | 3.33 |
| Average Salary | $79,120 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 25% |
Dance Major
A dance major is a very unique major and one of the easiest college majors based on our findings. Students who enroll in this major usually have had some sort of background in dance growing up.
The major will vary by school, but in general it includes different types of dance like ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, folk dance, and hip-hop. Students will also learn about different techniques, choreography, dance history and dance production.
Some core classes a dance major will take include ballet, dance composition, modern dance, and dance history. Again, these will vary by program. Graduates with a dance major will usually go on to teaching dance or go into some sort of production (plays, etc.). The laid back attitude and ability for creativity make this one of the easiest majors in college.
| Dancers | |
| Average GPA | 3.59 |
| Average Salary | $38,854 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 6% |
Accounting Major
Every business will utilize some form of accounting in their day to day operations. Accountants will always be valuable to their companies as they will most likely understand how the business makes money.
Accountants will understand the language of finance and be able to explain things going on in the business to partners and executives.
Most students who major in accounting have plans on becoming a certified public accountant (CPA). In order to sit for the CPA exam, students need 150 credit hours. While you can graduate with a BBA in accounting with only 120 credit hours, most students choose to earn the extra 30 hours so they can become a CPA.
Check out the best online accounting degrees in the United States.
| Accountants | |
| Average GPA | 3.32 |
| Average Salary | $71,150 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 4% |
Visual Communications Major
Visual communication has become more important throughout the years. Everything is going digital and people always expect things to look nice and presentable. Visual communication dives into this by studying how people communicate visually.
This field is ever changing as technology changes and evolves which makes the field exciting for many prospective students. Students should have an interest in designing things, especially with technology.
| Graphic Designer | |
| Average GPA | 3.36 |
| Average Salary | $52,110 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | -4% |
Classics Major
Classics and world religions makes our easiest college majors list because of the high retention rate and high GPA. This major includes both classic languages and classic civilizations.
Students in this major could choose to focus on Greek or Latin courses, courses in classical civilizations, archaeology courses, and other various language, literature, and art courses. Some students may be enrolling in this major as preparation for law school.
This is a great major for anyone look to enter into graduate programs in Greek or Latin philology, archaeology, history, philosophy, theology, linguistics, or education. This is also a good major for students who are interested in going to law school. Courses in this major will depend on your specialization.
| Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers | |
| Average GPA | 3.35 |
| Average Salary | $49,850 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 11% |
Journalism Major
Journalism majors will learn how to investigate and break news to others. The field has changed a ton over the last decade and will continue to evolve as technology changes. Students should expect to learn about different types of media and how to best utilize different types of media.
Students will take courses on writing, interviewing, reporting, and ethics. Some students may elect to pursue a minor in something they are interested in to help them become a better journalist. Some common minors for journalists include criminal justice, political science, and business.
| Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcasters | |
| Average GPA | 3.31 |
| Average Salary | $46,270 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | -11% |
Management Information Systems
Management Information Systems focuses on computer information systems to help manage business operations and guide decisions. This field is becoming more popular with students as more and more companies are seeking students with a background in MIS. Students will learn about databases, data analysis, coding, and project management.
Students who choose MIS as their business major will reap the rewards right away. According to PayScale, an IT business analyst can expect to make $66,000. Some skills that students should have when considering a MIS major are problem solving, ability to think critically, time management, and passion for working with technology.
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | |
| Average GPA | 3.23 |
| Average Salary | $146,360 |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029) | 10% |
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Easiest Degree to Get
The above majors are our easiest college majors based on several factors. While these are considered easy majors, no college major will be easy. Every major will require hard work and dedication, even the easiest majors. Some of these degrees may be easy for some students and challenging for others. If you are passionate about something, odds are it will be easier for you. It is important to choose a major that you are passionate about.
When looking at different college majors, try to imagine yourself doing work in that field after you graduate. If you can see yourself doing that job post-graduation, and you would be happy about it, consider majoring in that topic. If you choose a major because you believe it will be easy, but you are not interested in it, you will regret this a couple of years down the road.
According to our findings, a dance major is the easiest bachelor’s degree. The retention rate of students taking this major, combined with GPA, and the passion of students enrolled in this major make it the easiest degree to get. All of the majors on this list may be considered easy, but they all have job opportunities for students after they graduate. All majors listed will be very fulfilling, especially since most of the people who choose these majors are very passionate about their respective fields. You cannot go wrong choosing one of these majors.
Easiest College Majors FAQS
After looking at hundreds of college majors and different statistics for each of those college majors, we found that music composition was the easiest major in college.
While music composition may be the easiest college major, there will still be a ton of work and dedication needed to graduate. All college majors will require hard work and dedication. Check out our list of the easiest college majors here.
College Total’s Top 10 Easiest Majors:
1. Music Composition. Average GPA: 3.77
2. Art History Average GPA: 3.44
3. Women’s and Gender Studies. Average GPA: 3.38
4. Linguistics. Average GPA: 3.33
5. Dance. Average GPA: 3.59
6. Accounting. Average GPA: 3.32
7. Visual Communications. Average GPA: 3.36
8. Classics. Average GPA: 3.35
9. Journalism. Average GPA: 3.31
10. Management Information Systems. Average GPA: 3.23
There are a ton of difficult college majors out there. A lot of what makes a college major difficult depends on what kind of person you are. If you hate math, then engineering majors will be the hardest majors for you.
In general, we found that athletic training was the hardest major out there. Students who were athletic training majors had a lower retention rate and GPA when compared to other college majors.
Findings
In order to find and rank the easiest college majors we used a couple of different factors. We used retention rates for college students based on majors – these retention rates indicated to us what percentage of students remained in their declared major or decided to change their major. We determined this would be a good indication of how easy or hard a major was.
After determining retention rates, we paired those specific majors with the average GPA’s for each major. GPA is a great indicator of how easy or hard a major is. We then assigned a weight to each factor and scored the majors using both criteria. We realize that GPA’s can vary from school to school so some GPA’s may be higher or lower depending on the school you are looking at. There is no perfect system for finding the easiest college majors but we decided this would be the best way.
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