A Student's Guide to STEM Majors

Choosing a career of interest and financial stability is a huge task for students nowadays. From finishing high school, everyone around you, including family, friends, and acquaintances, starts worrying and interrogating your future career path. Even if you are going for your higher post-graduation studies, you are haunted by choosing a specialization. The addition of so many new subjects and career paths in modern studies, such as technology, is not making it easier.

So in this blog, we will talk about some of these current paths that are equally interesting and well-paying: STEM. It has been a go-to choice for students for years now, but do you know why? Let us discuss everything about STEM majors in detail.

What is STEM?

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In short, it includes all the subjects related to modern and applied sciences. STEM education has a proven industry growth in the future, which draws students' attention. We cannot classify the subject hard and fast in these categories, as there might be geological engineering or marine engineering courses. This is why we started grouping it as STEM itself to talk about these fields collectively.

There is also a variation called STEAM, which includes arts subjects like design and animation. Such courses develop an integration of creativity into technology, scientific reasoning, and research. If this is something that finds you hooked, start preparing right away by reading more about interdisciplinary studies and practicing scientific skills in every aspect of your academic life.

Apart from the better possibility of landing a high-paying job, STEM careers also provide you with knowledge about the mechanism of the real world and directly involve you in the transformation of the world as we know it. STEM mainly develops Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Ergonomic Designing and Planning skills among students; these skills are also deemed necessary in day-to-day worldly transactions.

So let us dive deeper into each of the subjects and their prospects.

Science

This category includes all of the subjects that belong to natural sciences like Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Sciences, Geology, etc. In a bachelor's degree (either BS or a BSc, depending on the country you are studying in), you will learn an overview of a few of these subjects. Some colleges do allow you to do STEM majors from the start. Still, the curriculum won't be as centered and focused as a postgraduate degree (MS or MSc). For example, you want to study astronomical sciences. So for that, you will have to select physics as a subject in your graduation and select astronomy as your specialization in your STEM masters.

Top Courses in Science

Life Sciences

University of Chicago, USA - BSc in Biological Sciences

University of Toronto, Canada - BSc Molecular Biology(Hons)

University of Edinburgh, UK - MSc in Research Paleontology and Geobiology

University of Manchester, UK - Ph.D./MPhil Genomics

Physics

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA - BS in Physics

Yale University, USA- BS in General Physics

University of St Andrews, UK- MPhys in Theoretical Physics

Durham University, UK- MSc in Particles, Strings, and Cosmology

Forestry

University of California, Berkeley, USA - BS in Forestry

Aberystwyth University - MSc in Remote Sensing and GIS

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Technology

You will mainly be learning about things you see today in this digital world. Subjects like computer science, robotics, data science, software development, and more are included in this list. This is the most growing sector because there are still a lot of innovations in it. The STEM degrees you will be getting are BTech for graduation and MTech for post-graduation. You usually start with some science subjects, including credits in computer, programming, etc.

Top Courses in Technology

Computer Science

University of Oxford, UK - BA in Computer Science

King's College London, UK - BSc in Computer Science

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA - MSc. in Computational for Design and Optimization

Princeton University, USA - MSc. in Computer Science

Data Science

University of Edinburgh, UK - BSc in Data Science

University of California, Berkeley, USA - BA in Data Science

University of Michigan, USA - MS in Data Science

University of Manchester, UK - MSc in Data Science

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Engineering

This is the category where students learn to apply their research and knowledge to the practical world. The primary goal is to build things that are theoretically put forward in science, technology, and mathematics. The subjects in engineering vary a lot, from mechanics and software to civil, etc. Many of the majors in BE (or BEng) and ME (or MEng) are interdisciplinary, like biotechnology, marine, genetic engineering, etc.

Top Courses in Engineering

University of Birmingham, UK - BEng in Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering (Hons)

Georgia Institute of Technology, USA - BS in Aerospace Engineering

Texas A & M University, USA - BS in Mechanical Engineering

Newcastle University, UK - BEng in Marine Engineering (Hons)

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Mathematics

The mother of all modern science fields, mathematics is one of the oldest and still most favorite subjects to study. The demand never ends as the applications of maths in other fields keep growing, including in Natural Language Programming linguistics and obviously in physical sciences. You can pursue this STEMprogram in both arts and science majors because of its ambiguous nature.

Top Courses in Mathematics

Harvard University, USA - AB in Mathematics

Loughborough University, UK - BSc in Mathematics (Hons)

University of Oxford, UK - BA Mathematics

Stanford University, USA - MS in Mathematics

Harvard University, USA - Ph.D. in Mathematics

Highest Paid Jobs After STEM Programs

STEM is known for its glorious and well-paid prospects in today's careers. Even so, there are a few jobs that top the list. Let us look at them so that it helps you choose the best option for you.

Actuarial Scientist

‍You analyze the financial risks in this job. Due to the increased financial literacy, companies prefer hiring scientific analysts who have good statistical knowledge and are familiar with the technology. The median salary is about $112,000 (£86,500/€106,000).

Aerospace Engineer

You have to be well versed in physics, maths, chemistry, and astronomy to be eligible for the post. Although you can land a good job after graduation, specialized knowledge taught in masters will help even more. The median salary in this job is $120,000 (£96,000/€113,500)

Mathematician

The increased demand pays back well to those who wish to pursue maths as their career. But there is a lot of competition. You will need unaltered dedication to your studies, as the subject is vast. Keeping statistics as one of your subjects will help you with your financial returns even more. The average salary of a mathematician is $100,000 (£80000/€95,000).

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Conclusion

There is no limit to the number of courses in STEM education. We already know the extent of the STEM fields and how their interdisciplinary nature helps you balance your passion and needs. Keep your skills and potential in mind while looking for the right STEM major for you. Wish you all the best on your journey!

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