The U.S. Department of Education recently released its top fifteen list of the most popular bachelor’s degrees for the 2005-2006 academic school year. They are as follows:

· Business Degrees (includes management, business, marketing and more) – 318,042 degrees granted
· Social Sciences and History Degrees – 161,485 degrees granted
· Education Degrees – 107,238 degrees granted
· Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences Degrees – 91,973 degrees granted
· Psychology Degrees – 88,134 degrees granted
· Visual and Performing Arts Degrees – 83,297 degrees granted
· Communication, Journalism and Related Degree Programs – 73,955 degrees granted
· Biological and Biomedical Sciences Degrees – 69,178 degrees granted
· Engineering Degrees – 67,045 degrees granted
· English Language and Literature/Letters Degrees – 55,096
· Computer and Information Sciences Degrees – 47,480 degrees granted
· Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Degrees – 44,898 degrees granted
· Security and Protective Services Degrees – 35,319 degrees granted
· Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies – 32,012 degrees granted
· Parks, Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies – 25,490 degrees granted

It will be interesting to see how these figures might change in a few years, as many colleges are reporting a shift in the types of degrees that students are interested in pursuing. With the economic downturn, for example, less students are interested in degrees associated with business and finance and more are looking toward degrees that provide long term stability or that involve “giving back” in some way. In addition, with President Obama’s push for green technology and other technological innovations, there is a severe shortage of engineers, which may help increase the number of people who are interested in pursuing this degree.

Another interesting note is that education degrees were the third most popular degree on the list. Yet, many states are still experiencing a shortage of teachers. Is this because there simply aren’t enough people pursing a degree in education or is it because there is a high turnover rate of burnt out teachers who decide to pursue other interests after a few years on the job? Either way, for those who are interested in pursuing a career in education, there are still plenty of jobs to go around and there is still a great need for individuals who can work wonders in the classroom.

Regardless of the degree you are interested in pursuing – or even if you are still unsure – visit the Top Colleges home page to learn more about various degree programs as well as colleges that offer those degrees.