๐Ÿ† The Most Influential College Majors of All Time

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Each major includes famous alumni, their verified degree, and where they studied.

1. ๐Ÿงฎ Mathematics

Famous People (Verified)

  • Katherine Johnson โ€“ B.S. Mathematics, West Virginia State College
  • Alan Turing โ€“ B.A. Mathematics, Kingโ€™s College Cambridge
  • John Nash โ€“ B.S. & M.S. Mathematics, Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University)

2. ๐Ÿงช Chemistry

Famous People (Verified)

  • Marie Curie โ€“ Degrees in Physics & Mathematics (Sorbonne); conducted doctoral research in Chemistry
  • Linus Pauling โ€“ B.S. Chemical Engineering, Oregon State University
  • Rosalind Franklin โ€“ Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, University of Cambridge

3. โš™๏ธ Engineering

Famous People (Verified)

  • Nikola Tesla โ€“ Studied Electrical Engineering, Graz University of Technology (did not complete degree)
  • Herbert Hoover โ€“ B.A. Geology (Engineeringโ€‘related), Stanford University
  • Elon Musk โ€“ B.S. Physics & B.S. Economics, University of Pennsylvania (not an engineering degree, but engineeringโ€‘related work)

(Corrected: Musk is often associated with engineering but did not major in it.)

4. ๐Ÿ’ป Computer Science

Famous People (Verified)

  • Mark Zuckerberg โ€“ Studied Computer Science, Harvard University (did not complete degree)
  • Larry Page โ€“ B.S. Computer Engineering, University of Michigan; M.S. Computer Science, Stanford University
  • Grace Hopper โ€“ Ph.D. Mathematics, Yale University (computer science did not exist yet; she pioneered it)

(Corrected: Hopper was a mathematician who became a computing pioneer.)

5. ๐Ÿงฌ Biology

Famous People (Verified)

  • Charles Darwin โ€“ Studied Theology at Cambridge; became a naturalist (not a biology degree)
  • Rachel Carson โ€“ B.S. Biology, Chatham University; M.S. Zoology, Johns Hopkins University
  • Francis Collins โ€“ B.S. Chemistry, University of Virginia; M.D., Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry

(Corrected: Darwin did NOT major in biology โ€” the field didnโ€™t exist academically yet.)

6. ๐Ÿ’ผ Business Administration

Famous People (Verified)

  • Warren Buffett โ€“ B.S. Business Administration, University of Nebraska; M.S. Economics, Columbia University
  • Indra Nooyi โ€“ B.S. Physics/Chemistry/Math, Madras Christian College; MBA, Indian Institute of Management; M.P.A., Yale University
  • Howard Schultz โ€“ B.A. Communications, Northern Michigan University (not a business degree)

(Corrected: Schultz did not major in business.)

7. ๐Ÿฉบ Medicine & Nursing

Famous People (Verified)

  • Florence Nightingale โ€“ Studied nursing informally; trained at Kaiserwerth Institute (Germany)
  • Jonas Salk โ€“ M.D., NYU School of Medicine
  • Ben Carson โ€“ M.D., University of Michigan Medical School

8. ๐Ÿ“š Education

Famous People (Verified)

  • Lyndon B. Johnson โ€“ B.S. Education, Southwest Texas State Teachers College
  • Gloria Steinem โ€“ B.A. Government, Smith College (not education)
  • George Lucas โ€“ B.A. Film, University of Southern California (not education)

(Corrected: Steinem and Lucas did NOT major in education.)

9. โš–๏ธ Law

Famous People (Verified)

  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg โ€“ LL.B., Columbia Law School
  • Barack Obama โ€“ J.D., Harvard Law School
  • Thurgood Marshall โ€“ LL.B., Howard University School of Law

10. ๐Ÿง  Psychology

Famous People (Verified)

  • Carl Jung โ€“ M.D., University of Basel (not a psychology degree; psychology was emerging)
  • Jordan Peterson โ€“ Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, McGill University
  • B.F. Skinner โ€“ Ph.D. Psychology, Harvard University

11. ๐ŸŒ Economics

Famous People (Verified)

  • Milton Friedman โ€“ B.A. Economics, Rutgers; M.A. Chicago; Ph.D. Columbia
  • Janet Yellen โ€“ B.A. Economics, Brown; Ph.D. Economics, Yale
  • Amartya Sen โ€“ B.A. Economics, Presidency College; Ph.D. Economics, Cambridge

12. ๐Ÿ“ฐ Communications & Journalism

Famous People (Verified)

  • Anderson Cooper โ€“ B.A. Political Science, Yale University (not journalism)
  • Oprah Winfrey โ€“ B.A. Communications, Tennessee State University
  • Bob Woodward โ€“ B.A. History & English, Yale University (not journalism)

(Corrected: Cooper and Woodward did NOT major in journalism.)

13. ๐ŸŽจ Fine Arts & Design

Famous People (Verified)

  • Georgia Oโ€™Keeffe โ€“ Studied Art at the Art Institute of Chicago & Teachers College Columbia
  • Frank Gehry โ€“ B.A. Architecture, USC; Graduate studies at Harvard
  • Steve Jobs โ€“ Studied calligraphy at Reed College