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. 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.
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? We will take a look at the easiest college majors below.
Easiest College Majors
| Major | Average Retention Rate | Average GPA | |
| Dance | 88% | 3.72 | Review |
| Film | 100% | 3.50 | Review |
| Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies | 88% | 3.55 | Review |
| Music | 86% | 3.52 | Review |
| Classics & World Religions | 85% | 3.60 | Review |
| Geography | 90% | 3.40 | Review |
| Marketing | 86% | 3.50 | Review |
| Linguistics | 89% | 3.38 | Review |
| History | 87% | 3.49 | Review |
| Management | 85% | 3.50 | Review |
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.).
| Dancers | |
| Average GPA | 3.72 |
| Average Salary | $38,854 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | -1% |
Film Major
A film major is very broad and might fall under one of the following categories at various schools – cinematography, directing, editing, film studies, producing, and screenwriting. Cinematography combines the technical and artistic aspect of film. Directing includes managing and interacting with multiple people at once. Editing involves taking something that is rough along the edges and making it into something that people want to watch. Film studies includes learning about the history and aesthetics of cinema. Producing encompasses everything that goes into a film – script development, budgets, etc. Screenwriting includes writing the script for the film.
Whatever the student specializes in will determine what kinds of classes they will take. A student with a film major will have many different job opportunities post-graduation. They can go into producing, directing, screenwriting, or content creation. Students with this degree will not be stuck in terms of job opportunities.
| Directors and Producers | |
| Average GPA | 3.50 |
| Average Salary | $74,420 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | 5% |
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
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 that we did not want to list an average salary or job outlook because it would not be accurate.
No job or salary information was provided or this major due to the large variation of potential jobs.
Music
A music major is usually offered by liberal arts schools but may be offered by other schools. Some schools will combine different music majors together in one department while other schools may just have a generic music major. It is important to check with the schools you are interested in for the specifics. Some common music major categories could include music technology, music theory and composition, jazz studies, and musical theater.
Enrolling in a music major will be good for anyone that has a passion for music and aspires to work in the field post-graduation. Some potential jobs include musicians and singers, music directors and composers, recording engineer, music agent, and musical therapist.
| Musicians and Singers | |
| Average GPA | 3.52 |
| Average Salary | $30.39/hour |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | 5% |
Classics and World Religions
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 | 3.60 |
| Average Salary | $49,850 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | 9% |
Geography
Geography is the study of the relationship between people and the environment. Geography looks at world landscapes, the environment, and natural disasters. Geography majors will study the earth and its physical properties while looking at how different societies interact with the environment. Geography is a mix of social and physical sciences.
Many schools will offer a human geography major and some sort of physical geography program. Human geography consists of how different societies are distributed throughout the world and how they interact. Physical geography includes the study of Earth’s climate, atmosphere, landscapes, and natural processes.
| Geographers | |
| Average GPA | 3.40 |
| Average Salary | $81,540 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | 3% |
Marketing
Marketing is a very broad business major. Marketing is used to inform people of products and offerings. Almost every business in the world will use some sort of marketing. Some courses students can expect to take include digital marketing, market research, and basic business classes such as finance and accounting. Depending on the school, students may be able to specialize in certain aspects of marketing such as digital marketing or market research.
Some successful characteristics of a marketing major include someone who is creative, good communicator, and a team player. Marketing is becoming more and more evolved. Marketing majors are now learning how to work with big data. If working with data interests you, this may be the major for you.
| Market Research Analyst | |
| Average GPA | 3.50 |
| Average Salary | $63,120 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2026) | 20% |
Linguistics
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 | 3.38 |
| Average Salary | $80,700 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | N/A |
History
History is exactly what it sounds like – the study of history! History is very important for people to study as history is known to repeat itself. Students may choose to specialize in a certain time period or just obtain a general history degree. They type of specialization will determine classes that student will be required to take.
Students with a history degree usually enter the private sector after graduating, but there are many potential destinations. Some common careers include history teacher, college or university professor, political advisor, museum curator, archivist, lawyer, and researcher.
| Historian | |
| Average GPA | 3.49 |
| Average Salary | $63,680 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | 6% |
Business Management
Management is a very common major for business majors. Management majors will focus on general business classes while incorporating management specific classes into their curriculum. Some management specific classes may include management practices, management theory, and project management. It is important for management majors to have a solid background in business, so they have the abilities to manage different business departments.
Management is a very broad field and students will have great career opportunities with a background in management. Students will have to work their way up in the business world to become managers. Students may have to enter companies as analysts and climb the corporate ladder to get to where they want to be.
| Sales Manager | |
| Average GPA | 3.50 |
| Average Salary | $126,640 |
| Job Outlook (2018-2028) | 5% |
Easiest Degree to Get
The above majors are our easiest college majors based on several factors. While these are considered easy, no college major will be easy. Every major will require hard work and dedication. 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.
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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