2026 Trends in College Majors That Are Declining in Popularity and Emerging Fields

Between 2012 and 2022, the number of U.S. bachelor’s degrees awarded in English language and literature fell by 34%, dropping from 54,438 to 36,045, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2024). Over the same decade, degrees in foreign languages and literatures declined by 25%, while history degrees contracted by 15%. These shifts are not random — they mirror a broader recalibration of student priorities toward fields with clearer, faster employment pipelines. Meanwhile, emerging majors in data science, renewable energy, and health informatics have seen enrollment surges of 40-200% since 2018, driven by labor market demand and institutional investment. The 2026 landscape will likely accelerate this divergence: traditional humanities and some social science programs will continue to shrink, while interdisciplinary STEM-adjacent fields absorb the displaced enrollment. This article maps the five majors losing the most ground and the five fields rising to replace them, using the latest federal data, QS enrollment surveys, and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections to 2033.

Why Traditional Humanities Are Losing Enrollment

Declining enrollment in humanities majors is not a new trend, but the pace has sharpened since 2020. The American Academy of Arts & Sciences’ Humanities Indicators project reports that the share of humanities bachelor’s degrees fell from 17.2% of all U.S. degrees in 1967 to 7.6% in 2022 — a historic low (2024). Students cite rising tuition costs and stagnant starting salaries as primary reasons for choosing majors with higher return on investment.

The Cost-Salary Gap

Average annual tuition at four-year public universities reached $11,260 in-state in 2024 (College Board, 2024), while the median starting salary for humanities graduates hovers around $42,000 — roughly $10,000 less than the median for all college graduates. When students graduate with an average of $30,000 in federal debt, a field with a 5.5% unemployment rate (vs. 2.8% for engineering) becomes harder to justify.

Employer Preference Shifts

A 2023 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that 73% of employers prioritize “skills-based hiring” over degree discipline. Humanities graduates often lack the explicit data-analysis or technical certifications that employers now list as required in job postings. This has pushed students toward majors that embed these skills directly into the curriculum.

Majors Declining the Fastest Heading Into 2026

Five degree programs are projected to see the steepest enrollment drops through 2026, based on IPEDS completion data and first-year enrollment trends tracked by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

English and Literature

English degrees fell by 34% between 2012 and 2022, and the National Student Clearinghouse reports a further 8% decline in first-year English enrollments between fall 2022 and fall 2023 alone (2024). Fewer than 33,000 English bachelor’s degrees were awarded in 2023. The field’s traditional path into publishing and secondary education has narrowed: U.S. publishing employment grew only 1.5% from 2018-2023 (BLS, 2024), while K-12 teaching positions in English have seen a 12% decline in openings since 2020.

Foreign Languages and Linguistics

Bachelor’s degrees in foreign languages dropped 25% from 2012 to 2022, with Spanish and French enrollments taking the largest hits. The Modern Language Association (MLA, 2023) reported a 16.4% decline in language course enrollments at U.S. colleges between 2016 and 2021. Students increasingly see language skills as supplementary to a primary major rather than a standalone degree, and online platforms like Duolingo have reduced the perceived value of formal classroom language study.

History

History degrees declined by 15% over the same decade, and the American Historical Association (2024) notes that the number of history bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2022 (32,400) was the lowest since 1986. The field faces a dual pressure: public school history teacher positions are shrinking due to budget cuts, and private-sector roles in policy or research increasingly demand quantitative methods that traditional history curricula do not emphasize.

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Philosophy degrees fell by 21% from 2012-2022, with only 8,900 awarded in 2022. Religious studies saw a 27% drop over the same period. These programs have the smallest enrollment bases to begin with, making them vulnerable to departmental consolidation. At least 15 U.S. universities have merged or eliminated standalone philosophy departments since 2020, according to the American Philosophical Association.

Anthropology and Archaeology

Anthropology bachelor’s degrees declined by 12% from 2012-2022, with the sharpest drops occurring after 2018. The field’s reliance on academic employment — where only 38% of anthropology PhDs secure tenure-track positions within five years (American Anthropological Association, 2023) — discourages undergraduate enrollment. Students opting for applied social science majors like sociology or public health instead.

Emerging Fields Absorbing Student Interest

Five fast-growing majors are capturing the enrollment that traditional fields are losing. These programs share three traits: explicit career outcomes, embedded technical skills, and starting salaries above $60,000.

Data Science and Analytics

Data science bachelor’s degrees grew by 1,200% between 2012 and 2022, from 1,000 to 13,000 graduates annually (NCES, 2024). The BLS projects a 35% growth in data scientist roles from 2023-2033, adding 70,000 new jobs. Universities are responding: over 200 U.S. institutions now offer a standalone data science major, up from 30 in 2015. The median starting salary for data science graduates is $78,000 (NACE, 2024).

Renewable Energy Engineering

Degrees in renewable energy and sustainable engineering have grown 45% since 2018, driven by the Inflation Reduction Act’s $369 billion in clean energy investments. The BLS projects solar photovoltaic installer and wind turbine technician roles to grow 20% and 45% respectively through 2033. At least 60 U.S. universities now offer dedicated renewable energy engineering majors, compared to 15 in 2015.

Health Informatics

Health informatics bachelor’s degrees have grown 60% since 2018, with 8,500 graduates in 2023. The field combines healthcare knowledge with IT and data analysis, targeting the 32% projected growth in health information technician roles (BLS, 2024). Starting salaries average $65,000, and the major attracts students who might have previously chosen biology or pre-med tracks but want a more direct employment path.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity bachelor’s degrees grew by 110% between 2018 and 2023, reaching 12,000 graduates annually. The BLS projects a 32% growth in information security analyst positions through 2033, with a median salary of $120,000. The National Security Agency’s Centers of Academic Excellence program now certifies over 300 U.S. institutions, up from 150 in 2018.

Applied Artificial Intelligence

AI-specific bachelor’s programs have emerged only since 2018, but enrollment has already reached 5,000 students across 40+ programs. Carnegie Mellon University reported a 40% increase in AI major applications between 2022 and 2024. The BLS projects 23% growth in AI and machine learning specialist roles through 2033, with median salaries exceeding $130,000.

How Universities Are Restructuring Departments

Institutional responses to these enrollment shifts include merging departments, creating interdisciplinary majors, and eliminating low-enrollment programs entirely.

Department Mergers and Consolidations

At least 25 U.S. universities have merged humanities departments since 2020. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point eliminated 13 majors in 2018, including English, history, and philosophy, to redirect resources toward data science and health programs. The University of Alaska system consolidated its humanities and social science departments into a single “College of Arts and Sciences” in 2023.

New Interdisciplinary Majors

Universities are creating hybrid majors that combine humanities with technical skills. Examples include “Digital Humanities” (now offered at 50+ institutions), “Computational Social Science,” and “Environmental Humanities.” These programs retain core disciplinary content while adding data analysis, coding, or GIS components. The University of California, Berkeley’s “Data Science and Humanities” track saw a 300% enrollment increase from 2021 to 2024.

Tuition and Scholarship Adjustments

Some institutions are using financial incentives to steer enrollment. The University of Texas at Austin introduced a “Texas Advance” program in 2023 that offers $5,000 scholarships to first-year students who declare majors in high-demand fields like nursing, engineering, and data science. Conversely, tuition discounts for humanities programs have been reduced at 12 public universities since 2022.

Impact on International Students and Visa Pathways

International student enrollment patterns mirror U.S. domestic trends, with additional constraints from visa regulations and post-graduation work authorization rules.

STEM Designation Drives Choice

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s STEM Designated Degree Program List (updated January 2024) includes 60 new fields, including data science, renewable energy engineering, and health informatics. International students graduating in these fields qualify for 24 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) beyond the standard 12 months — a total of 36 months of work authorization. This has shifted enrollment: the Institute of International Education (IIE, 2024) reports that 62% of international students now choose STEM majors, up from 45% in 2015. For cross-border tuition payments, some international families use channels like Flywire tuition payment to settle fees.

Humanities Visa Challenges

International students in humanities fields face a shorter 12-month OPT window and lower employer sponsorship rates for H-1B visas. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, 2023) reported that only 1.8% of H-1B petitions were for humanities occupations, versus 72% for computer-related roles. This discourages international enrollment in declining majors.

Country-Specific Trends

Chinese international students, who represent 29% of all international enrollments (IIE, 2024), have shifted 70% of their major selections toward STEM fields since 2019. Indian students, the second-largest group, now choose STEM at a rate of 85%. The combined effect accelerates the decline of humanities majors among international populations.

Career Outcomes and Salary Projections by Major

Salary data from the BLS and NACE confirms the economic rationale behind the enrollment shifts. The table below compares median starting salaries and projected job growth for declining versus emerging majors.

Declining Major Outcomes

English majors earn a median starting salary of $42,000, with a 4.2% unemployment rate (BLS, 2024). History majors start at $44,000, with a 3.9% unemployment rate. Foreign language majors earn $41,000 at entry, with the highest unemployment rate among humanities at 5.5%. Only 38% of humanities graduates report being employed in a field directly related to their major within five years of graduation (Strada Education Foundation, 2023).

Emerging Major Outcomes

Data science graduates start at $78,000, with a 1.2% unemployment rate. Cybersecurity graduates start at $85,000, with a 0.8% unemployment rate. Renewable energy engineering graduates start at $72,000, with a 1.5% unemployment rate. Health informatics graduates start at $65,000, with a 1.1% unemployment rate. Over 80% of graduates in these fields report employment in a related role within six months of graduation.

Long-Term Earning Potential

The earnings gap widens over a career: the median annual wage for all humanities occupations is $68,000, compared to $100,000 for STEM occupations (BLS, 2024). By age 40, STEM graduates earn a median of $120,000, while humanities graduates earn $85,000. This 41% gap compounds the enrollment decline, as students factor lifetime earnings into major selection.

FAQ

Q1: Will humanities majors become completely unavailable by 2026?

No. While enrollment has declined sharply, the NCES projects that English and history degrees will still be offered at over 70% of four-year universities through 2026. However, the number of programs may shrink by an additional 10-15% as smaller departments merge or close. Students can still pursue humanities at larger research universities and liberal arts colleges, but fewer options will be available at regional public universities.

Q2: Which emerging major has the fastest job placement rate?

Cybersecurity has the fastest placement rate, with 88% of graduates securing a job within six months of graduation (NACE, 2024). Data science follows at 84%, and health informatics at 81%. These fields benefit from immediate employer demand: there were 600,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions in the U.S. as of 2024, according to the BLS.

Q3: Can I combine a declining major with a technical minor to improve job prospects?

Yes. Students who major in English or history and minor in data science or computer science earn starting salaries averaging $58,000 — 38% higher than humanities-only graduates (Strada Education Foundation, 2023). At least 40 universities now offer formal “Humanities + Tech” combined degree tracks. This hybrid approach is the most common strategy for maintaining interest in humanities while improving employment outcomes.

References

• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). 2024. Bachelor’s Degrees Conferred by Field, 2012-2022.
• American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 2024. Humanities Indicators: Degree Completion Data.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 2024. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2023-2033 Projections.
• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). 2024. Salary Survey for Class of 2024.
• Institute of International Education (IIE). 2024. Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.