Top 10 College Degrees & Best Majors

This topic is a minefield because of the range of criteria that can be used. We're going to opt for the best choices for a bachelors' degree and leave the six and eight year degrees for another article. One good benchmark is current demand in the job market, but that can change quickly as anyone with a business degree who has been looking in 2009 can tell you. But as the economy rebounds, so will career business opportunities.

Another popular benchmark tool is average starting salary for new graduates. This scale can shift as well: today's golden opportunity can result in tomorrow's glut of graduates, something which has surprisingly occurred recently with mechanical engineering jobs.

Our criteria include both job market demand, but over a period of years, and consideration for salary, although starting salary isn't necessarily the critical figure. Performance and ambition have more impact on salaries ultimately than the degree with which you start your career.

1.Accounting
2.Electrical/Electronics Engineering
3.Computer Science.
4.Business
5.Chemical Engineering
6.MIS (Information sciences and systems)
7.Finance/Economics
8.Marketing
9.Computer Engineering
10.Environmental Engineering

An undergraduate can opt for a marketing degree or obtain a business degree with emphasis on marketing. Either way, the career will be about harnessing the new communications technologies. A computer science degree will take you into the theory of digital development; a computer engineering degree will lead to a career developing technology to utilize that theoretical work. MIS options can lead to a career as a systems analyst or a network security career.