HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new report is clarifying how students conceptualize their futures in Hawaiʻi by pulling back the curtain and showing the world what majors provide the most employment stability.
At University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa, students are packing classrooms in business, biology and computer science. But across the country, a new report shows that these popular picks aren’t always the safest bets when it comes to getting and keeping a job.
The report found that some of the lowest unemployment rates belonged to majors most people don’t expect, such as nutrition, art history and philosophy.
Each had an unemployment rate under 3.5%. Computer science and chemistry, on the other hand, were above 6%.
Popular doesn’t always mean practical
Computer science is one of UH Mānoa’s most enrolled majors. It’s also amongst the fields with the highest unemployment for recent grads. In 2023, computer science majors faced a 6.1% jobless rate.
Computer engineering was even higher at 7.5%. Biology and pre-nursing, also top UH picks, were not listed amongst the majors with the lowest unemployment.
In contrast, nutrition sciences had a national unemployment rate below 1%, and philosophy beat out most STEM fields with 3.2% with art history posting at 3%.
Philosophy majors earn less at first but still work
Computer science majors had some of the highest early-career earnings at $80,000 a year. But they weren’t the only ones. Nutrition majors earned $75,000, which is just below that figure.
While philosophy majors earned less at $48,000, those with the degree were still above the national personal income average of $42,220.
Despite the lower salary, philosophy graduates faced less unemployment than physics and chemistry majors. The report indicated this shows that higher pay doesn’t always mean better job security.
Graduate degrees make a difference
Nearly 58% of philosophy majors went on to earn advanced degrees. That’s the highest rate amongst all majors in the data.
At UH Mānoa, psychology and biology are in the top 10 most popular majors on campus, and both fields often serve as steppingstones to graduate school, especially for students planning careers in healthcare, counseling or scientific research.
UH Mānoa stands out in key fields
UH Mānoa ranks amongst the top 20 universities in the United States for linguistics, anthropology and hospitality—subjects not currently in the school’s most enrolled majors’ list.
Still, these national rankings show the university’s depth across academic fields, even those that attract fewer students. It’s a reminder that strong programs aren’t always the most crowded, and students may find opportunity where fewer people are looking.
“These popular majors highlight areas of strong student interest, but UH Mānoa’s commitment to excellence extends to every program we offer,” explained Nikki Chun, UH Mānoa vice provost for Enrollment Management and interim director of Admissions. “We are a globally recognized university, dedicated to providing a high-caliber education across all fields, and the people of Hawaiʻi can be truly proud of the exceptional academic resources they have in their own backyard.”
Majors with the lowest unemployment rates
From the report, the college majors with the lowest unemployment rates amongst recent graduates aged 22 to 27 were:
- Nutrition sciences at 1% or lower.
- Construction services at 1% or lower.
- Animal/plant sciences at 1% or lower.
- Art history at 3%.
- Philosophy at 3.2%.
The numbers make it clear: success after graduation depends less on following trends and more on understanding where real opportunity lies.
National data shows that job security doesn’t always follow the most popular majors. UH Mānoa students have access to nationally ranked programs across disciplines which makes it possible to choose both passion and practicality.