Students may want to rethink their majors after a recent survey conducted by PayScale.com ranked majors from least to most satisfying based on the careers the majors led to.

The survey showed the least satisfying major to be psychology, with 26 percent of psychology degree holders responding they are ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their career paths. On the other hand, chemical engineering and management information systems tied for most satisfying, with 54 percent of chemical engineering and management information systems majors saying they are ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied.’

Psychology and chemical engineering professors and students at Syracuse University said they understand why the poll listed their fields as least and most satisfying, but some said they were surprised.

The data from the national survey was collected between April and June and included 10,800 workers who completed their bachelor’s degrees between 1999 and 2010. The survey was done as part of The Wall Street Journal’s Paths to Professions project, which looked at jobs that are satisfying, well paid and have growth potential.

A bachelor’s degree in psychology does not prepare students for any specific job right out of college, which could contribute to the results of the study, said Kate Carey, professor of psychology at SU.

‘Most psych majors know that unless they are going to make a career out of it, they could go into personnel, human services, both of which do not pay well,’ Carey said. ‘Or they could go into advertising, law, a wide variety of things.’

After college, students could go to graduate school or medical school if they wish to pursue a career in psychology, but most do not go this path, Carey said.

‘I’m a little surprised that people are dissatisfied with it, because most people take psych because they love psych,’ Carey said. ‘But being confronted with those wide-open choices after they graduate can be anxiety provoking.’

There are approximately 500 psychology majors at SU, making it one of the most popular majors on campus, said Jennifer Bragg, undergraduate secretary for the Department of Psychology. She said this could be because psychology could be applied to a number of other fields. People who did not further their psychology education after graduating tended to move into unrelated fields after one year, according to the study.

If psychology majors further their education and become a psychologist, they could make anywhere from $48,840 to $160,127, according to PayScale.com.

Alex Collins, a junior psychology major, said he picked psychology because he will be entering the military after graduation, and the major allows him to learn about people. But Collins said it is hard to find a niche in the major.

‘I think psych as a major is really pretty worthless because it is kind of like majoring in college,’ Collins said. ‘There is nothing specific, and it’s such a broad field that you have a hard time finding topics to focus on.’

Collins, who is also majoring in forensic science, said pairing psychology with another major or minor is beneficial because students can have a field of expertise along with a psychology background.

‘You pretty much can’t do anything with a major in psych,’ Collins said. ‘You have to pursue your education further if you want to make a career out of it.’

On the other end of the survey’s spectrum fell chemical engineering as the most satisfying major. George Martin, professor and program director of chemical engineering at SU, said chemical engineering is versatile because students can enter a variety of fields post-graduation. They have a unique skill set that prepares them for many areas of work, including medicine, law, finance or management.

‘Having the problem-solving skills of a chemical engineer gives you a heads-up in a lot of different career paths,’ Martin said.

There are currently 59 chemical engineering undergraduate majors at SU, according to the Undergraduate Records Office.

Chemical engineering enrollment at SU has increased in the past few years, and Martin said he hopes it will continue to do so. He attributed this in part to all of the problems currently related to energy, global warming and renewable energy resources.

Another factor that draws people to chemical engineering is the starting salary out of college, Martin said. According to PayScale.com, the average starting salary for a chemical engineering graduate out of college is $59,947.

‘I think in general chemical engineers are paid pretty well,’ Martin said. ‘Probably the highest average starting salary for B.S. graduates of all of the different fields because there are a number of jobs that pay reasonably well.’

Sam Poirier, a junior chemical engineering major, said she chose her major because she loved chemistry and wanted to do something useful with it. While some majors require internships or a co-op with companies to get hands-on experience, chemical engineering classes already provide Poirier with that, she said.

‘It’s a lot of work and takes up a lot more time than most people in other majors, which is kind of a downfall, but it’s really interesting,’ Poirier said. ‘You’re teaching yourself a lot of it, which in itself is really satisfying.’

hawentz@syr.edu

Published on October 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm