10 Most Popular Majors in Florida
- Florida’s most popular majors include business, psychology, and engineering.
- The state’s demand for healthcare professionals makes health sciences, nursing, and biological sciences popular options.
- The proximity to the ocean and access to top oceanography programs makes oceanography uniquely popular in Florida.
While its tropical weather and sandy beaches make the Sunshine State one of the world’s top tourist destinations, Florida has also become the country’s fastest-growing state. As the state’s population surges, the next generation of college students look to make their mark.
In Florida, students aren’t short on choices, with more than 180 four-year schools in the state. Learners have access to some of the nation’s largest public schools and most prestigious private schools. No matter what type of education you’re looking for, you have a good chance of finding it in Florida.
To help make your search a little easier, we put together a list of Florida’s most popular majors. Explore what disciplines Florida students choose most frequently and why these fields are so appealing.
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10 Most Popular Majors
In 2020-2021, Florida schools awarded more than 114,000 undergraduate degrees. Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the U.S. Census Bureau, and individual schools, we take a closer look at the 10 most popular majors in Florida for undergraduate students.
1. Business
The most popular major across the country, business covers many subdisciplines, including accounting, finance, and management. Florida awarded more than 24,000 business bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021, according to NCES, over 21% of all degrees conferred in the state.
Business is Florida’s most popular major because of the flexibility of the degree and the promise of access to high-paying careers. The discipline feeds into one of the largest business workforces in the country and two of Florida’s largest industries: headquarters and financial and professional services.
Common Career Paths
Financial analysts, human resources specialists, accountants and auditors
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$78,600 for business and financial occupations
2. Health Sciences
Health sciences degrees provide students with a foundational understanding of the human body. The major acts as a stepping stone for many healthcare professions, of which Florida employs the third-largest workforce in the country.
In 2020-2021, more than 16,000 Florida graduates took home health-related bachelor’s degrees, over 15% of all degrees awarded. With Florida growing faster than any other state, the increasing demand for healthcare professionals should keep health sciences classes full for the foreseeable future.
Common Career Paths
Registered nurses, dietitians, medical technologists, health information specialists
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$89,800 for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
3. Psychology
The study of the human mind and behaviors, psychology can lead to careers and advanced degrees in any field that analyzes people. The fundamental skills students acquire in critical thinking, research, and social and behavioral psychology can help them in many professional fields.
Not only is psychology the sixth-most awarded bachelor’s degree in the state, but Florida awards psychology degrees at higher rates than the national average. Psychology graduates can enter the healthcare, business, or counseling sectors.
Common Career Paths
Counselors, marketing specialists, psychologists, community service managers, probation officers
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$94,240 for clinical and counseling psychologists
4. Engineering
Engineering uses mathematics and scientific principles to design and develop innovations for solving real-world problems. Engineers use creativity and ingenuity to improve our way of life and keep people safe.
In Florida, more than 32% of adults over 25 have a science and engineering degree, as per the U.S. Census Bureau. Part of what makes engineering so popular is the massive scope of the discipline. Engineers can specialize in areas like computing, healthcare, energy, and environmental science.
Common Career Paths
Aerospace engineers, nuclear engineers, industrial engineers, chemical engineers
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$85,580 for architecture and engineering occupations
5. Biological Sciences
Biological sciences majors explore living things and processes. In this major, you may study specific animals, ecosystems, diseases, or animal behaviors. You can specialize in areas like genetics, microbiology, or ecology, or you can take a broad approach to keep your postgraduate options open.
Your biological sciences degree could lead to careers in biological research, agricultural science, or healthcare. In Florida, the booming life sciences sector promises graduates ample opportunities, which should keep up enrollment up in this major.
Common Career Paths
Agricultural and food science technicians, biological technicians, microbiologists, environmental scientists
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$69,110 for life, physical, and social science occupations
6. Nursing
Nursing majors teach you how to provide care in various healthcare settings. You learn the fundamentals of health promotion and illness prevention, along with foundational terminology, anatomy, and pharmacology.
Nurses are some of the most in-demand workers across the nation. Florida alone could face a shortage of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035. Along with the promising career outlook, nursing offers advancement opportunities and the potential to help people and communities.
Common Career Paths
Registered nurses, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$79,910 for registered nurses
7. Education
Education majors develop the necessary skills to become educators in various settings. The programs explore the science of learning and development, pedagogy, curriculum development, and classroom management.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 13% of adults over 25 have an education bachelor’s degree. These degrees typically lead to teaching, administration, or training and development careers. In the public school system alone, Florida has over 4,200 public schools, more than 3.5 million students, and nearly 200,000 teachers.
Common Career Paths
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, high school teachers, special education teachers, career and technical education teachers
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$55,820 for educational instruction and library occupations
8. Computer Science
As a computer science major, you study computer hardware and software, programming, and various computer applications. Computer science lays the groundwork for many technology subfields and specializations, including networking, software development, and cybersecurity.
The broad functionality and versatility of computer science make it one of Florida’s most popular majors. With the third-largest tech industry in the country, Florida provides plenty of career opportunities for graduates.
Common Career Paths
Computer systems analysts, information security analysts, software developers, network and computer systems administrators
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$94,200 for computer and mathematical occupations
9. Oceanography
Oceanography is the study of oceans and ocean environments. In this major, you learn about the different ocean ecosystems, how they function, and how humans affect them.
In a coastal state like Florida, you have near-immediate access to the ocean no matter where you are. As a result, many of the state’s schools run oceanography programs.
While the overall number of oceanography graduates may look small in comparison to the major fields, Florida boasts a considerable portion of the country’s oceanography majors. In fact, the more than 5,400 oceanography graduates in Florida make up about 20% of the entire field, as per the U.S. Census Bureau.
Common Career Paths
Oceanographers, marine biologists, marine technicians, environmental geologists, seismologists
Annual Mean Wage (May 2022)
$92,190 for geoscientists
10. Humanities
The humanities major covers a wide area that includes the arts and languages. In this field, you study the human experience through literature, culture, and history.
In Florida, one of the country’s most diverse states, the humanities major supports the expression, preservation, and exchange of many cultures and traditions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20% of adults over 25 in Florida have an arts and humanities bachelor’s degree.
Common Career Paths
Writers, public relations specialists, artists, marketing specialists, technical writers
Annual Mean Wage (May 2031)
$62,450 for arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
Frequently Asked Questions About Popular Majors in Florida
What is Florida’s most popular major?
By sheer numbers, Florida’s most popular major is business, as per NCES. Engineering- and healthcare-related majors are also extremely popular.
In terms of comparisons with the rest of the country, oceanography stands out as the most uniquely popular major in the state.
What is Florida’s most popular college?
According to NCES, the University of Central Florida (UCF) is the most popular Florida college in terms of enrollment numbers. UCF enrolls more than 70,000 students, making it one of the top 10 biggest schools in the country.
Florida International University, the University of Florida, and the University of South Florida all enroll more than 50,000 students annually. All of these schools sit in the top 25 largest schools in the country.
What are the most popular majors at the University of Florida?
The University of Florida’s most popular undergraduate major is psychology, with more than 5,000 degrees awarded in 2022. The next most popular degrees are biology (3,400), mechanical engineering (3,000), and finance (nearly 3,000).
What are the most popular majors at the University of Central Florida?
According to bachelor’s degrees conferred, psychology is the most popular major at the University of Central Florida. After that, the list continues as follows: integrated business, biomedical sciences, nursing, criminal justice, and mechanical engineering.
What are the most popular majors at the University of South Florida?
The arts and sciences department is by far the most popular in the University of South Florida, with biomedical sciences, information science, psychology and humanities majors all part of it. Business and engineering have the second- and third-largest enrollment numbers.
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