Looking for the easiest path to a college degree? Here are the easiest college majors for getting your bachelor’s degree.
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Unfortunately (or fortunately?), we can’t see or predict our futures. But we can prepare and plan for it the best way we can.
And if you’re fortunate enough to go to college, choosing the right college major can set you up for a lifetime of success.
No pressure or anything.
Some lucky students know exactly what they want to do…and some of us still don’t know what we want to be when we grow up!
If you’re unsure which path to choose, why not consider one of the easiest college majors available?
“Easy” College Major Criteria
To help you out, we have identified 4 primary ways to judge the “easiness” of a college major:
- A subject you are naturally good at and enjoy learning about.
- The major with the most students graduating after four years.
- A degree that requires minimum effort and time to excel.
- A major that most students score a high GPA.
We’ve listed those in order from “heart to head”. For example, if your heart was making the choice, it would choose a college major that is fun and thus comes the most naturally to you.
Mark Twain’s old adage applies here: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
As humans, we’re wired to take the past of least resistance. That’s where your head comes in. If your head chooses your college major, it might choose the least work, the highest graduation rate, or GPA.
The logic behind this is that the higher the GPA, the easier the path and many students score higher GPAs in courses that are not math or science intensive.
While this might be true, it does not apply to every student.
The Easiest College Majors
The term “easy” in this case is subjective because it depends entirely on the student.
For example, if you excelled in humanities subjects in high school, the easiest college major for you could be something related to humanities.
The same applies to students who go for STEM majors. They choose technical courses because they excel in sciences.
With the above in mind, this post will list some of the easiest degrees you can pursue in college.
You will also get ideas on various career paths to follow and how much you will earn.
Oh, and just to play devil’s advocate, here’s a fun fact: did you know that 1/3 of college graduates work in jobs that don’t require a college degree?
For all of you skimmers out there, here is the Cliffs Notes guide to easy college majors:
| Major | Salary Range Salary ranges vary wildly across location, experience level & specific occupation |
| Psychology | $60,000 – $215,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $48,000 – $65,000 |
| Education | $45,000 – $55,000 |
| Anthropology | $47,000 – $107,000 |
| Sociology | $56,000 – $107,000 |
| Religious Studies | $53,000 – $180,000 |
| Communications | $50,000 – $180,000 |
| History | $47,000 – $126,000 |
| Healthcare Administration | $98,000 – $104,000 |
| Social Work | $49,000 – $90,000 |
| Creative Writing | $48,000 – $140,000 |
| Human Resources | $41,000 – $214,000 |
| Business Management | $60,000 – $140,000 |
1. Psychology
The best part about psychology is that it is a multidisciplinary course meaning you have options. Not all psychology courses are easy, but it depends on your interests.
For example, do you want to study psychology from a scientific or liberal arts perspective?
A bachelor of science in psychology focuses more on scientific and technical skills. In contrast, a bachelor of arts in psychology focuses more on building critical thinking, observational, and communication skills.
Generally speaking, a BA (Bachelor of Arts) in psychology is considered easier than a BS (Bachelor of Science) in the same field because it does not involve a lot of math and science.
Another thing to consider when taking this major is how you plan to start your career path.
For example, a two-year degree in psychology is easier to start with than a four-year one. An associate degree requires about 60 credits, and most of the coursework includes foundational knowledge in psychology.
Starting with an associate degree might be easier depending on your personal goals and how much time you have to put into the coursework.
You must advance to a master’s or doctorate degree in psychology to be considered a psychologist. Fortunately, some degrees are easy and only require only a master’s degree to start working in that field.
A good example of this is a master’s in industrial-organizational psychology. The program has fewer courses meaning it takes a shorter time to complete.
Additionally, most students find that a doctor in psychology degree (Psy.D.) is easier to complete than a Ph.D. This is because a Ph.D. is more research-based while a Psy.D focuses on practical education through fieldwork.
Fieldwork means you apply your knowledge daily in a clinical setting, while research requires a lot of reading, analyzing, and writing.
Whichever career path you choose to follow, you can expect to start earning a good salary early in your career. The average annual pay of an entry-level psychology major is between $60,000-$63,000.
If you’re interested in majoring in psychology, we have a whole post about whether or not psychology is a hard major.
2. Criminal Justice Degree
Criminal justice has long been considered one of the easiest courses in college. However, that depends on the area you choose to specialize in and the school you decide to attend.
It is general knowledge that not all police work requires you to have a degree. However, having a degree is crucial if you want to advance your future career.
The main reason students find criminal justice majors easy is that the course does not require too much reading and writing.
Even if it does, it is manageable compared to other majors. Since you cannot guess your way through court proceedings, you must learn about the laws within the criminal justice system.
As for technical skills, you will need to be computer literate to search the system, input or log in evidence, among other police work jobs.
Other fields, like forensics and cybersecurity, might require advanced computer and scientific knowledge, but it is usually interesting because every case is different.
Despite having various career options, criminal justice is also a lucrative field. For example, the annual salary of a correctional officer is about $48,000, while a detective can earn up to $65,000 a year.
3. Education
Teachers are a crucial part of society because they help shape different generations. Receiving and imparting knowledge to people with different learning abilities requires you to have a degree in education.
There are various branches of education you can specialize in:
- Special education
- High school education
- Elementary education
- Early education
Believe it or not, an education degree is easy to achieve regardless of specialization. This is because the main focus is on educational theory and practical knowledge of the various theories and methods of education.
Educational theory is not complicated but interesting because you learn educational techniques from historical times to now. Besides that, qualifying for an education major does not require high SAT scores.
An education major might be easy, but it will require you to work for some time at the beginning of your career for free. Afterward, you will earn an average of $45,000 – $55,000 annually.
4. Anthropology
Anthropology is a degree that focuses on humanity and human development throughout history.
The course is related to various subjects, such as history and philosophy, meaning many conclusions within the subject can have more than one interpretation.
Because of the ambiguous nature of anthropology, many students find this major easy.
With anthropology, it is not a matter of getting the right or wrong answers. Instead, it is mainly about how well you argue or defend your conclusion based on all the evidence provided.
In addition, anthropology typically involves a lot of travel, where students gain practical experience by interacting with people from various cultures and traditions.
Contrary to popular belief, not all anthropologists end up working in a remote area digging for bones or treasure.
You can get lucrative job opportunities in the government, private sector, education, human resources, marketing, and museum curator, among others.
You can earn an annual salary of $47,000 – $107,000.
5. Sociology
Sociology is the study of how social structures affect human behavior. Students learn sociology mainly through observation, reading, and collecting data.
Since the course explores things like family, inequality, gender, race and culture, crime, and environment, most students find it easy to understand.
Besides relying on research and data, students can also apply common sense to solve some societal issues.
Additionally, there is little to no technical language in the course, and students studying sociology score a GPA of 3.4 and above.
Sociology might be an easy major, but many graduates also suffer from unemployment. However, many career opportunities derive from this degree, including market research analyst, human resources specialist, public relations specialist, and many more.
The average annual salary of a sociology major can range from $56,000-$107,000.
6. Religious Studies
Are you interested in theology?
A religious study major focuses on learning different religions while drawing from other disciplines like theology, history, anthropology, literature, language, philosophy, sociology, and political science.
Most subjects mentioned above are already considered easy, so it is safe to assume that religious studies fall in the same category.
The only difficult thing with a religious studies major is that it is hard to choose a career path because this area of study is not designed with any clear goal in mind.
Most people think religious studies is about becoming more religious or increasing your faith in a certain religion. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Religious studies are the study of different religions, and there are no clear solutions to certain issues.
The course will help build your debating and research skills, but applying this knowledge in business or finance industries can be difficult.
Despite all this, some lucrative careers come with doing a religious studies major, like becoming a member of the clergy.
Salaries range from $53,000-$180,000 per year.
7. Communications
Think about the media and how various forms of mass media influence peoples’ opinions and how they live their lives.
Taking a communications route in your studies will enable you to use your creative skills to communicate your perspective to different audiences worldwide.
Communication is considered an easy major because it does not involve scientific coursework. Instead, students learn about public speaking, research strategies, writing, theory, and media which are relatively simple.
There are several career paths to follow as a communications major, like public relations specialists, marketing or advertising, editors, and reporter, among others.
The annual salary for a communications major can range from $50,000-$180,000.
8. History
History is based on things that have already happened, meaning it is factual. Therefore, the course is considered easy because students study a series of chronological events that have already happened.
This means that there is typically no lab or scientific work involved. However, you are required to read a lot of texts and analyze how past events have affected how we live in society today.
Additionally, history exams can be held at the end of the course or in intervals. However, this depends on the subject of study and the available information.
A history major has excellent research and critical thinking skills and can choose various career paths besides teaching history.
As a history major, you can become an archivist, museum technician, curator, or even a lawyer earning $47,000-$126,000 annually.
9. Healthcare Administration
When you think of the healthcare industry, your mind immediately goes to doctors and nurses.
However, most people forget about healthcare’s business and service delivery, and that is where healthcare administration comes in.
A Healthcare administration major is easy compared to other medical professions that require a lot of lab work and studying difficult medical and scientific literature.
However, the major does require expertise in two main subjects: business and general healthcare.
Simply put, healthcare administration requires knowledge on keeping the business profitable while delivering quality patient service.
Additionally, getting into the healthcare industry does not require a bachelor’s degree if you already have one in business management, Human Resource Management, or Leadership management. However, it will help to join an accredited healthcare administration program.
As a healthcare administration major, you can explore a career in a hospital, private clinic, or patient-care facility.
The average annual salary of a healthcare administrator is $98,000-$104,000. The healthcare industry is changing, and new career opportunities are coming every day. Therefore, the health sector is an area worth exploring.
10. Social Work
Most students will describe being a social work major as fairly easy.
You do not need to learn advanced mathematics or calculus, but you will do a course on statistics, quantitative research, and empirical research methods.
These subjects are important because they are used in social sciences and help achieve social justice. Because these subjects are not as difficult, social work majors score high GPAs.
Besides that, you need empathy, cultural competency, and awareness of your own social biases and experiences to be a good social worker.
A social work major can lead to opportunities in national and international NGOs, mental health therapists, clinical social workers, and more. The average social worker earns an annual salary of $49,000-$90,000.
11. Creative Writing
As the name suggests, creative writing involves a lot of writing. It also involves reading and analyzing previous creative works to challenge your thinking and peer-to-peer reviews to enhance your skills.
If you enjoy writing poems, plays, songs, stories, and other creative works, the creative writing major will be easy for you.
As a creative writer, you are considered a sort of wizard with words, which can benefit you in various professional fields like marketing, copywriting, editing, communications management, etc.
The internet has also opened many content creation opportunities for creative writers. You can start a blog, or online magazine, self-publish your books, and much more.
Of course, your average annual salary will depend on your chosen path, but you can expect to earn $48,000-$140,000.
Online bloggers have made six-figure monthly incomes through advertisements and affiliate marketing on their websites.
If this sounds interesting to you, you have to read our article on how to start a blog because we will give you all of our secrets on how this blog is now making over $7000+ monthly (and growing!).
12. Human Resources
Every company, regardless of size, needs people to provide labor ensuring the success and growth of the company.
They hire human resource managers to ensure the company hires people with the right skills. Besides recruitment, human resource managers ensure employees are compensated fairly and that the company operates within the law.
A human resource major is considered easy because it does not require much technical skill.
The only technical knowledge you need involves learning the software systems used to complete or assist in HR tasks like payroll management, training, or hiring.
Besides that, you will be taking courses on employment law, financial management, and strategic decision.
A career in HR is stable because every company needs a human resource manager. You can expect to earn an annual salary of $41,000-$214,000, depending on your level of expertise.
For example, an HR assistant can earn $41,000 while a VP of human resources can earn $214,000 per year.
13. Business Management
Business studies is considered one of the easiest degrees that colleges have to offer.
Unless you specialize in a specific field like accounts, economics, or finance, it is easy to get a business degree. Although the courses are lengthy, you are only required to learn the different subjects at a basic level.
This means you will learn basic accounting, marketing, human resources, finance, economics, etc., within your four years of study. With this degree, you can easily run a profitable enterprise or become a successful entrepreneur after college.
As a business major, you can explore careers in various fields like advertising, business management, finance, sales, etc.
It is also a stable career choice because jobs in business management are set to increase by 5% from 2019-2029.
An entry-level job in business management can earn you a $60,000 annual salary. As you gain experience and grow, you can earn up to $109,000 annually.
Of course, this depends on the career path you choose as you advance in your career. For example, a business IT manager can earn $115,000 annually, while a financial manager can earn $140,000 yearly.
With a business major, the opportunities are endless, so the lengthy courses are worth it in the long run.
This post was all about the easiest college majors to choose.
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