ARCHAEOLOGY

Courses in history, geography and geology would effectively augment an archaeology major. Statistics would be another especially good choice, because it not only has some applications in archaeology, but provides good secondary career opportunities in case the crowded field of archaeology fails to yield any meaningful job prospects.

ART

Two possibilities are generally available with art: Fine Art, for the student in graphics, design and so on; and Art History, for the student interested in the management of museums and other scholastic pursuits in the field of art. History and language courses would aid the art history student, and in either case, would provide a second major or minor area that might be a little more "bankable" in a tight job market.

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

An excellent choice for long-term career potential. However, business administration programs at many colleges require a near-full-time concentration of courses, thus offering very little opportunity for minoring or outside academic interests. But most graduate business schools accept students with undergraduate degrees in fields other than business. If you are interested in business and have the resources, both academically and monetarily, to attend graduate school, you might consider majoring in a related area in undergraduate school, along with a few business courses on the side. Good related areas include information systems, economics, engineering and statistics. Under any circumstances, try to get work experience in your field of interest before graduation.

ECONOMICS

Economics provides good opportunities in business, especially banking, as well as in academic environments. The more mathematics and information systems/computer science experience you have under your belt, the more desirable you will be in the job market when you graduate. From an academic perspective, sociology and political science would intellectually augment an economics background, but no one is beating down the doors for these fields in today's job market. Although it probably doesn't have much potential as a minor, taking a few business or management courses would relate directly to your economics training and help with your marketability.

EDUCATION

Not only is education a highly volatile job market, but education majors generally have such extremely tight academic schedules that majoring in any other subject is very difficult, if not impossible. A college student who plans on teaching some vocational subject has a better background for getting a job in some other area, if the job search in education isn't fruitful. Those who plan on teaching in other, less practical areas -- English or history, for example -- should plan on relatively stiff job competition and have all the alternatives planned out in advance. In other words, when you are planning your college schedule, think about what you'll do with your somewhat specialized college background if the market in education is tight.

ENGINEERING

Currently engineering is a good field, but it is highly cyclical over time. It is also important to be aware that there are several fields of engineering to choose from. The need for graduates in each of these individual areas -- civil engineering, mechanical engineering and others -- will vary as the years progress. Another issue is that an engineering discipline usually means that the student is unable to take courses in many other fields. So, here it is very important to know both your own interests and the trends in the job market. The decision to major in engineering must be made relatively early in order to avoid wasted time and money.

ENGLISH

Definitely plan to minor in some other field if English is going to be your major. Not only are English majors something of a glut on the market in today's economy, but English is the type of major, academically, that works best when it is combined with some other field. In that way, your talents with the English language can be combined with the ability to communicate information in another area.

GEOLOGY

Some of the most desirable jobs in geology, according to many in the field, are with the government, so study up on the requirements for any government job you may have your eye on. Courses in the sciences would augment this field, and mathematics and statistics may also be an effective supplement. Chemistry courses, specifically, would be tied closely to some of the work you would be doing in this area.

HISTORY

Quite simply, the field of history is repeatedly and perennially described as "overcrowded" in virtually all the reviews of job potential. Accordingly, take a good hard look at your motivations for majoring in this subject, and be sure to check out the job prospects and alternatives within your academic schedule. If history is an all-consuming burning passion with you, then the best course of action would be to (a) take additional course work in a more marketable area, and (b) try like mad to get something published in the field of history. Do some original research, perhaps in conjunction with one of your courses, polish it up so that it says something new in an interesting manner, and try to get into print. It's difficult, but the point is that you are going to have to stand out in an overcrowded field, so you'd better have a novel approach.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS/COMPUTERS

The various fields of computer science and information systems are generally technical applications of other areas. For example, some colleges offer courses in computer engineering, which is the nuts and bolts of computer design. Other areas focus on programming, while others concentrate on overall computer systems development. The best way to approach this is to determine what most interests you and examine that area. For example, if the business application of computers attracts you, you may also want to check into business administration.

JOURNALISM

Journalism is another overcrowded field. Try to get work at some local publication (many radio and television stations, as well as newspapers and magazines will be pleased to have you work as an unpaid intern), and take courses that will make you marketable and enhance your journalistic skills. For example, with enough courses in economics and management you'd be a natural for the business and finance section of some publication, and, in the event that there are no jobs in this field at the time you graduate, you can get a job in management while you wait for something to open up -- and thereby make your resume look better while waiting.

LANGUAGES

There are a great many fields for language majors to get involved with, so you may want to sample a few of them. Interpreting is hard, nerve-wracking work, where snap decisions are required, so you need the special personality (and probably the native fluency) required for such work. If this area interests you, a course of study in international politics, history or economics might be the best way to round out your education. If you are interested in translation -- converting literature from one language to another (with English presumably as one of the languages) -- then perhaps several courses in English would be in order. And don't forget that job opportunities exist in international business, so courses in this area, or general management, could help in this field.

MATHEMATICS

In the academic field of mathematics, jobs are a little tighter than they are in the business world. Courses in economics, computer science, management, and statistics all would strengthen the basic mathematics major.

MUSIC

Like art and theater, music is a field that has always been crowded to the breaking point, and there is no indication that this is going to change any time soon. The best strategy for music majors is to have a career plan charted out well in advance, with some very definite ideas as to what will happen if no jobs in music materialize. Then plan for some long and hard credit hours in the field that you have chosen as you "backup" area. In a way, music majors have it harder than other students, since the extremely individualized instruction they receive, as a rule, means that the courses they take in music eat up much more time than they are worth, in terms of academic credit. So it might be a good idea to switch things around: Major in some marketable area, and minor in music -- particularly the fields that interest you.

PHILOSOPHY

Generally, a philosophy major is useless unless it is coupled with knowledge of a subject to which the tools of philosophy can be brought to bear. The problem is, none of the subjects that philosophy best integrates with -- political science, history, and the other liberal arts -- are much more marketable than philosophy. I personally have always thought that a double major in philosophy and mathematics would be an interesting combination, but I may be alone in this.

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Political science is another overcrowded field. Get your foot in the door early, with (even unpaid) work in a politician's office or government agency, and be sure to develop a well-rounded course of study. Good minors would be economics and statistics (voter surveys can be a particularly lucrative field, and translate readily into experience for a market research position). From an academic point of view, philosophy and history would also enhance a political science major, but you aren't much better off in the job market by adding those fields.

PSYCHOLOGY

If you are truly interested in psychology as a career, one of the best minors might be statistics. This has direct practical application to clinical psychology, will make anything you publish in the field more meaningful, and will provide a possible secondary source of jobs should psychology be a tight field. Courses in computer applications could be a plus.

SCIENCES (BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, ETC.)

There are several up-and-coming fields in sciences (such as microbiology), but the trends change with the times. A student with interest in the sciences should be aware that one field can be a very hot item, while another field -- closely related -- may not be as effective in getting a job. At one point, chemistry students found that they weren't as popular with the corporate recruiters as the students with degrees in chemical engineering, and some colleges offered programs so that, with an extra year of school, chemistry majors could be converted to chemical engineering majors. These last minute switches are possible, but, in order to avoid that kind of waste, academic careers should be carefully planned with an eye toward these trends. As a rule, the sciences integrate well with each other, so that any two of them can serve as a major-minor or double major combination. In addition, mathematics and statistics integrate well with many of the sciences.

SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is another area similar to history and political science, and, like these two subjects, competition in the job market is extremely keen. Again, economics and statistics are best bets for minors that will make a resume look a little better, and some social work will demonstrate exposure to current trends in sociology.

STATISTICS

One of the better majors from the standpoint of jobs is statistics, especially in conjunction with computer science. Most of the social sciences -- sociology, political science, psychology -- as well as the physical sciences such as chemistry, physics and biology, use statistics quite heavily in their work. Business administration courses also complement statistics.

THEATER

As the Department of Labor has noted, "overcrowding has existed in the acting field for many years and is expected to persist." Consider majoring in business administration or something more marketable, in order to have a job while looking for acting work.

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