We often tell our students that applying for a specific program or major is critical. That may seem crazy for a high school student who has no idea what they want to do with their life to start considering. But the truth is, college is SO incredibly competitive these days and the Ivy League is just out of control. In order to have a competitive advantage, our students cultivate a highly-specific academic niche throughout high school and leverage that to apply to majors and programs that are a natural extension of what they’ve already been doing in high school.
That’s because colleges are looking for experts in particular areas. It’s helpful to know what the most popular (and sometimes most-competitive) majors are in schools. If you think you might want to pursue the most in-demand major at a university, consider that you’ll need to be at the top of your game.
According to data from the class of 2022, these majors had the most number of students graduate with degrees:
ECONOMICS
It’s not all that surprising that Econ topped out the list at Harvard with 186 degrees conferred for the class of 2022. It tends to be one of the most (if not the most) popular majors at Ivy League schools across the board and Harvard’s Econ department is one of the best in the world.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Computer Science had the second-highest number of degrees conferred for the class of 2022 with 162. In a world where ChatGPT could change the face of college by the time current freshmen graduate, there are few places better than Harvard to study CS. Housed in the School of Engineering, students can choose from a number of research areas, from AI, to Computer Architecture, to Economics and Computation and more.
GOVERNMENT
Some might be surprised to hear that the Department of Government’s programs of study include Data Science, Tech Science, Public Policy, and Political Economy. From undergraduate to graduate programs, Harvard is well-known for its Government programs, which include the Kennedy School. It’s not really surprising given just how many presidents, legislators, and diplomats have graduated from Harvard.
NEUROSCIENCE
Harvard’s undergraduate Neuroscience program is a popular one, too. There are three tracks: Neurobiology, Computational Neuro, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior. Courses include Neuroengineering, The Brain: Development, Plasticity, and Decline, Neurobiology of Perception and Decision Making, Biological and Artificial Intelligence, and more.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS
The Applied Mathematics program had 80 graduates from the class of 2022. The undergraduate program is housed in the School of Engineering. Course offerings include Computational Design of Materials, Mathematical Methods in the Sciences, Computational Geometry, Active Matter, and more.
PSYCHOLOGY
The class of 2022 garnered 66 degrees in Psychology. Harvard’s program (which is a couple hundred years old) offers several tracks: a general track, a Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology Track, a Cognitive Science Track, and a Secondary Field in Psychology. Courses range from the Seven Sins of Memory and Measurements of the Mind, to Cognitive Neuroscience of Meditation.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Harvard also offers a Bachelor’s in Social Studies. Courses include Legitimacy and Resistance in an Unjust World, the Critical Theory and Practice of Democracy in the Global South, Global Capitalism and the “Entrepreneurial Self,” Reparations in Law and History, Mass Incarceration in Comparative and Historical Perspective, and more.
Picking a major can seem like a daunting task when you’re not even accepted into college yet. But we always stress to our students that specificity and expertise are important when applying to your top choice schools. The good news to keep in mind is applying to a major or program within a school isn’t binding. If you’re itching to go in as an undeclared major, you can. But it’s best to show schools that you have a particular, really niche academic interest and that the school to which you are applying has the best program for that niche.
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