Pathways to Top Careers
It’s common knowledge that a college degree leads to higher income and greater opportunity. But there are a lot of different college degrees, and some of them must be preferable to others when a student is looking for things like employability, income, and satisfaction. So the question is, how do you determine which degrees are the most likely to lead to successful careers?
The good news is, you don’t have to do it yourself. The folks at Kiplinger.com have analyzed the data for 215 popular college majors and come up with a list of the 10 Best College Majors for Your Career.
Here at Governors State University, we like the Kiplinger list because it fits well with the educational direction we’ve already established. And we stand out in the Illinois collegiate world because we offer a tremendous value: we are not just the mos affordable public institution in the state; according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, at ten years out, our graduates earn 21 percent higher salaries than the national average. We are the most impressive of any Illinois college, public or private, in terms of ROI, or Return on Investment. Our graduates have an ROI of 511 percent, and the closest competitor is way behind at 287 percent.
Forty miles south of Chicago, GSU offers the advantages of a larger university with the sense of community of a small college. Our diversity and our flexibility make us an outstanding choice for students interested in both finding themselves and finding a career.
Take a look at the many ways GSU can be the pathway to your future in
- Nursing
- Computer Science
- Information Security
- Management Information Systems
- Finance & Economics
- Software Engineering
- Actuarial Mathematics
1. Nursing
Career Paths lead to positions in nursing, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, healthcare administrative positions, nurse educator
Degrees to prepare you include an undergraduate degree in nursing, master degree in nursing, doctorate in nursing practice (DNP), and Ph.D. in nursing.
GSU helps you get there with:
- RN to BSN Completion program
- Master of Science in Nursing with concentrations in Nursing Administration, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Family Nurse Practitioner
- Doctor of Nursing Practice
2. Computer Science
Career Paths lead to positions in computer programming, network and computer systems administrator, computer and information systems manager, computer and information research scientist, data mining specialist, web and application development, systems software development, information security analyst, computer systems analyst, market research analyst, operations research analyst
Degrees to prepare you include management information systems, computer science, information technology, health informatics
GSU helps you get there with:
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics
3. Information Security
Career Paths lead to positions in Management Information Systems directors, computer programmer, computer systems analyst, computer support specialist, information security specialist
Degrees to prepare you include computer science, information technology, management information systems, health informatics
GSU helps you get there with:
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics
4. Management Information Systems
Career paths lead to positions in network and computer systems administration, computer systems analyst, computer and information systems manager, database administrator
Degrees to prepare you include management information systems, computer science, information technology, health informatics
GSU helps you get there with:
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics
5. Finance and Economics
Career path leads to financial analyst, banking and financial services, statistician, marketing research and analysis.
Degrees to prepare you include economics, business administration, finance, accounting
GSU helps you get there with:
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance
- Bachelor of Science in Accounting
6. Software Engineering
Career path leads to positions in applications development, systems development, web development, embedded systems development (automobiles, appliances, etc.), information security.
Degrees to prepare you include computer science, software engineering, information technology, health informatics
GSU helps you get there with:
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics
- Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems
7. Actuarial Mathematics
Career path leads to actuarial positions in insurance and finance industries
Degrees to prepare you include actuarial science, mathematics, statistics, economics, business and finance
GSU helps you get there with: