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    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. 🧮 Mathematics

    Famous People (Verified)

    • Katherine Johnson – B.S. Mathematics, West Virginia State College
    • Alan Turing – B.A. Mathematics, King’s College Cambridge
    • John Nash – B.S. & M.S. Mathematics, Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University)

    2. 🧪 Chemistry

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    3. ⚙️ Engineering

    Famous People (Verified)

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

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

    4. 💻 Computer Science

    Famous People (Verified)

    • Mark Zuckerberg – Studied Computer Science, Harvard University (did not complete degree)
    • Larry Page – B.S. Computer Engineering, University of Michigan; M.S. Computer Science, Stanford University
    • Grace Hopper – 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. 🧬 Biology

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    (Corrected: Darwin did NOT major in biology — the field didn’t exist academically yet.)

    6. 💼 Business Administration

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    (Corrected: Schultz did not major in business.)

    7. 🩺 Medicine & Nursing

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    8. 📚 Education

    Famous People (Verified)

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

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

    9. ⚖️ Law

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    10. 🧠 Psychology

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    11. 🌍 Economics

    Famous People (Verified)

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

    12. 📰 Communications & Journalism

    Famous People (Verified)

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

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

    13. 🎨 Fine Arts & Design

    Famous People (Verified)

    • Georgia O’Keeffe – Studied Art at the Art Institute of Chicago & Teachers College Columbia
    • Frank Gehry – B.A. Architecture, USC; Graduate studies at Harvard
    • Steve Jobs – Studied calligraphy at Reed College
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