Choice of Planned Major
At the time of ACT registration, students can select a specific planned major from a list of 294 alternatives. These alternatives can be grouped into 18 planned major areas.
Percent of ACT-Tested High School Graduates with Different Planned Major Statuses by ACT Composite Score, 2013
Percent of ACT-Tested High School Graduates with Different Planned Major Statuses by ACT Composite Score, 2013
Planned Major | Female | Male |
---|---|---|
Health Sciences and Technologies | 32% | 14% |
Social Sciences and Law | 11% | 8% |
Arts: Visual and Performing | 9% | 8% |
Education | 9% | 4% |
Business | 9% | 15% |
Sciences: Biological and Physical | 9% | 7% |
Health Administration and Assisting | 6% | 2% |
Community, Family, and Personal Services | 4% | 3% |
Communications | 3% | 2% |
Engineering | 3% | 17% |
English and Foreign Languages | 2% | 0.8% |
Ag. and Natural Resources Conservation | 2% | 3% |
Computer Science and Mathematics | 0.9% | 6% |
Architecture | 0.9% | 2% |
Philosophy, Religion, and Theology | 0.4% | 0.8% |
Engineering Technology and Drafting | 0.3% | 4% |
Area, Ethnic, and Multidisciplinary Studies | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Repair, Production, and Construction | 0.1% | 3% |
Graph reads: 9% of female students from the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2013 selected a planned major in the area of Biological and Physical Sciences.
Note: Based on 79% of the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2013 who reported gender and selected a planned major when they registered for the ACT.
- The 4 areas of Health Sciences and Technologies; Business; Social Sciences and Law; and Engineering comprise more than half (54%) of all students who selected a planned major.
- The area of Health Sciences and Technologies is very popular among females, with roughly 1 out of 3 selecting a planned major in this area.
- Just less than half (46%) of all males selected planned majors in the areas of Engineering; Business; and Health Sciences and Technologies.
Percent of ACT-Tested High School Graduates Who Selected a Planned Major Within a Subset of Planned Major Areas by ACT Composite Score, 2013
Percent of ACT-Tested High School Graduates Who Selected a Planned Major Within a Subset of Planned Major Areas by ACT Composite Score, 2013
ACT Composite Score Range | Arts: Visual and Performing | Engineering | Health Sciences and Technologies |
---|---|---|---|
1–15 | 11% | 6% | 21% |
16–19 | 9% | 6% | 25% |
20–23 | 8% | 8% | 26% |
24–27 | 7% | 12% | 24% |
28–32 | 6% | 18% | 20% |
33–36 | 3% | 27% | 15% |
Graph reads: 27% of the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2013 with an ACT Composite score in the range of 33–36 selected a planned major in the area of Engineering.
Note: Based on 79% of the ACT-tested high school graduating class of 2013 who selected a planned major when they registered for the ACT.
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- The likelihood of selecting a planned major within a particular planned major area differs by the students’ academic achievement.
- For example, as ACT Composite score increases, the percentage of students who selected a major in the area of Engineering also increases.
- The percentage of students who selected a major in the area of Visual and Performing Arts decreases as ACT Composite score increases.
- Relative to the share of students at either the lower or upper ranges of the score scale, a larger share of students with scores in the middle of the ACT Composite score scale selected a planned major in the area of Health Sciences and Technologies.