What Should I Study in College in 2026

What to Study in College in Today’s Job Market

If you’re planning to apply to college in the mid-2020s, it brings up a big question: Since artificial intelligence (AI) is changing almost every job, how will the job market look in the future, and what college major should you pick because of it?

Picking a degree program is challenging in the face of AI changing the job market. Your choice has to balance cost, finding a good job, and what you actually enjoy. Read our guide on how to think about choosing a college major, and our best tips on how to research and select the major for you in today’s world.

In This Guide:

What AI In the Job Market Really Means
How to Research Your Career Path
High-Demand Fields in 2026 and Beyond
Getting Ahead of AI in Your College Major

What AI in the Job Market Really Means

You don’t need to be a computer science major to future-proof your career. For students looking ahead to college interested in any major, from humanities and social sciences to the hard sciences interested in any major from English to science, the job market is being reshaped by two major forces:

1. Rising demand for critical human skills: There are some skills that AI just can’t replicate, like critical thinking and creativity.
2. The rapid growth of AI: While it can’t be creative like a human, AI can help condense large amounts of data and information quickly, which means almost every industry is using AI tools to be more efficient.

While there may be more to think about when choosing a college major today, the good news is that lots of different college degrees and majors will remain a good choice for a long time to come. No matter what you are interested in, history shows that workers who approach new technology with an open mind have a competitive advantage in the job market and workplace.

How to Research Career and Degree Paths

It's understandable to worry about which degree and job to choose, especially with predictions that AI could decrease entry-level white-collar hiring within the next five years. However, you can get closer to knowing what major to pick by looking at reliable data and actively researching to compare areas that interest you.
 

1. Map Your Interests to Occupations

To find careers that genuinely align with your passions and natural skills, you can start by taking online assessments like tests and quizzes. After getting some initial ideas, research the required skills and typical responsibilities for those roles to narrow down your options.

• Take free online assessments like the O*NET Interest Profiler to connect your work-related interests to specific jobs.
• The O*NET Online tool and the BigFuture career exploration tools allow you to explore careers based on income, skills, education level, and demand.

Tip: Remember that some jobs have different pay and responsibilities depending on whether you earn a bachelor’s degree or also pursue graduate education.
 

2. Research Current and Future Job Demand

Data and resources from the state or federal government can help you compare different majors and jobs. Once you have a potential career or major, these sources and suggestions will help you understand a field's potential for growth (moving to higher positions) and its long-term health (staying in demand for years).

• Use the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to find details like median pay, education requirements, and the job outlook for the next decade for hundreds of jobs.
• The Career OneStop website provides state and local salary data and allows you to research different industries to work in.
• Research credible publications that provide AI career data and guidance on choosing majors. Some publications include The Princeton Review, Research.com, and more.

Tip: Look beyond salaries and consider long-term employment trends.

3. Don’t Forget to Compare Colleges

Choosing the right school that supports your goals is just as important as picking a major. Look for colleges with a forward-thinking attitude about preparing students for today's job market; they may offer special programs or tools for success.

Statistics such as the Return on Investment (ROI) report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce help you find which schools lead to careers with growth potential. Read our blog, How to Choose a College, to learn which factors to pay attention to and how to effectively evaluate your choices.

High-Demand Fields: What to Study in 2026

Strong careers in an AI-enhanced future aren’t limited to certain fields, but will concentrate in sectors that require a high degree of human interaction, data analysis, ethical judgment, or specialized physical skills. If you’re not sure what to major in, you can start in these broad areas.

Engineering, Data, and Cybersecurity

Areas like engineering, technology, and science are strong choices because they combine industry growth with high compatibility in today’s job market. Fields such as the energy industry and advanced manufacturing are examples of this. They may have less job uncertainty because the growing need for energy efficiency ensures both a high demand for specialized human skills and continued growth over the coming decades.

• Undergraduate degrees in this area include Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. 
• Cybersecurity literacy is becoming an essential skill across all roles. York College of Pennsylvania offers a Cybersecurity minor to give critical data privacy and security skills.

Business, Finance, and Strategic Management

Business degrees teach you highly versatile skills like leadership, analyzing data and statistics, and how to look at many factors to make good decisions. Because jobs that deal with complex real-world situations still need human insight and intelligence—something AI can't match—these majors provide a strong foundation for careers that have excellent potential for you to move up after you start working.

• A degree in Business Administration can lead to careers in human resources, management analysis, and leadership in corporate settings.
• Other sought-after skills to study in today’s economy include project management, digital marketing, and business analytics.

Nursing and Medical Professions

As the national population ages and chronic illnesses increase, it remains true that health professionals, especially highly trained specialists like gerontologists, audiologists, and advanced nurse practitioners, remain a fast-growing sector in the age of AI.

• Nursing majors offer the potential for a secure profession that combines human empathy with using the latest technology to improve health of patients.
• A bachelor's degree in a field like Health Sciences can prepare you for advanced degrees, such as medical school or doctoral programs, by providing exposure to various areas of healthcare and medicine.

Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Liberal Arts

Majors like History, English, Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy are more relevant than ever. These disciplines develop in-demand creativity and analysis skills that AI cannot replicate. For example, many employers value graduates who can communicate complex ideas to multiple audiences and interpret AI-generated insights while considering social context or business goals.

• Programs in the humanities like History, Fine Art, and English and Writing can inform user experience (UX) careers, where professionals design more intuitive, successful digital products.
• Teaching and education majors are required to become credentialed to teach in public schools.
• Sociology, political science, and criminal justice majors become prepared to work in law enforcement or public administration.

Tip: Look for adding a minor to diversify your skills in the job market. Or, look for colleges that provide early work experiences to try out different industries.

Any Career Where You Know How to Leverage AI

The most adaptable careers in the future will be those where professionals effectively pair their human skills (creativity, ethics) with AI tools (efficiency, data processing.) This “human + AI” model applies to more fields than you may think.

• Marketing and sales departments in every organization and industry are implementing AI tools to make work more efficient.

• Creative fields can blend artistic vision with generative AI tools.

Ways to Get Ahead of AI in the Job Market

Three ways you can include the emergence of AI in your major and job choice are:

1. Choose a career in building or studying AI,
2. Choose a program that includes AI in its curriculum, or
3. Build AI literacy skills that apply to any career.

If you are not interested in computer engineering or creating AI systems, let’s focus on the last two pieces of advice.

 

Tip: Seek Emerging Degrees That Include AI Skills

Some industries are being affected by AI already, and forward-thinking colleges and universities are responding. For example, York College of Pennsylvania offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees that specifically focus on ethical use of AI in industries where the impact is being felt the most.

• Major in Digital Art and Artificial Intelligence to prepare for modern careers in gaming, animation, and visual art where generative AI is a primary creative tool.
• An online Master of Science in Analytics and Applied AI trains students to drive better business decisions using AI, whether you run your own small business or work in marketing, finance, or other areas.

Tip: Build AI Literacy for Any Career

Master the most in-demand skill of tomorrow’s job market: how to interact with and use AI-based systems. Immediately boost your marketability by finding courses, training, and credentials that demonstrate your dedication to learning in this area.

• AI fundamentals: Free online resources and even YouTube videos can provide a baseline of AI principles for beginners.
• AI use for specific projects: The Managing AI in Organizations Minor at YCP teaches how to ethically and effectively streamline the use of AI by entire teams to accomplish any goal.

Prompt engineering: Learn how to give clear, effective instructions to AI in order to get the best outcomes from different tools. Explore free resources like Google Prompting Essentials.