No single major can do everything!
But there are indeed some majors
whose goal is to
cultivate versatile talents with interdisciplinary abilities.
Hence, in terms of curriculum,
they cover content from more than just one field.
These majors offer broader career choices
and demand higher overall competence.
They are what we're going to introduce here:
“Versatile” Majors
What Are “Versatile” Majors?
1
Low entry barriers, broad career scope
“Versatile majors,” as the name suggests, are those that can be applied in various fields without overly high specialization barriers. This is exactly why they are so popular among international students; Chinese students tend to prefer business and STEM fields, which are cross-disciplinary and offer a wide range of job opportunities.
2
Emphasis on overall competence
Versatile majors demand high overall competence from students. This is especially true at top-ranked institutions, which place great importance on a student's comprehensive qualities. Most top-10 business schools in the U.S. essentially require work experience for graduate admissions. The few programs that don't require work experience—found only at MIT, Columbia, and Northwestern—still expect high GMAT scores, top-tier internships, and strong academic backgrounds.
3
The majors are not “easy”
When people hear “versatile majors,” they might first think the programs are watered down. However, at top schools, related programs have very high academic standards. Some courses are notably tough and demanding. For instance, it’s reported that certain courses in a school's EE program have failure rates as high as 50%, and economics, which involves extensive math and statistics, also has a relatively high failure rate.
4
Suitable for international students' development
Judging only by employment numbers might be biased, because one must also consider whether a major is suitable for international students' career paths. Looking at the distribution of H1-B visa recipients each year is more informative. The top 20 occupations receiving H1-B visas in 2017 were mostly concentrated in CS-related fields and business disciplines such as management, finance, and statistics.
A Rundown of Versatile Majors
1
Business
Most business majors are widely recognized as “versatile.” First, the market demand for business graduates is relatively large, and average salaries are decent, so many international students choose business. Second, compared to engineering and similar fields, business has lower specialization barriers, and switching to another business concentration is relatively easy.
Of course, getting into a top-tier business school's graduate program is still quite challenging; almost all top MBA programs require full-time work experience.
More importantly, many schools' MS in Business Analytics programs are now designated as STEM, offering up to 29 months of OPT after graduation, giving international students ample time to find a job.
Featured programs:
◆ University of Southern California
USC's MS in Business Analytics was only launched in 2014, yet it already ranked first in the 2016 TFE Best Master's of Business Analytics rankings. The school is located in Los Angeles, with excellent geographical advantage and strong overall and program rankings. If you want to apply to this BA program, you must prepare early, especially utilizing winter and summer breaks during college and your senior year to gain professional internships and build work experience.
◆ University of Texas at Austin
UT Austin is traditionally strong in MIS, so its BA program is also excellent. The curriculum is intensive, with many large case studies to complete within a year. The program also partners with major corporations like Walmart, and many graduates have the opportunity to work directly for these partners. Applicants need a background in business or science/engineering, with a certain level of math proficiency (probability, statistics).
◆ New York University
NYU had already launched its MS in Business Analytics at the Stern School of Business back in 2013, earlier than many other schools. This is a one-year program requiring at least five years of full-time work experience, ideally with some management experience and strong quantitative analysis skills. Admitted students often come from industries like FMCG, energy, finance, and technology.
2
Electrical Engineering (EE)
As a highly applicable engineering discipline, EE has always been a popular choice for studying abroad. Traditional EE is based on semiconductor devices and materials, with chip design and manufacturing as the carrier, integrated with various general and specialized electronic systems and applications.
Modern EE is interacting with numerous other disciplines—mathematics, computational science, medicine, materials science, etc.—at an unprecedented speed and breadth, gradually becoming one of the most influential and broadest fields worldwide. One online joke puts it: “EE can compete with microelectronics for chip design positions, with software engineering and CS for coding jobs, with automation for UAV flight control design, with communications engineering for high-frequency design, and still keep its own circuit design realm—it’s a major where you could set up a PCB design stall in a bazaar and still not starve.”
Featured programs:
◆ Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT's EE program is housed within the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), which belongs to the School of Engineering and is the largest department in the school.
It mainly offers three types of master's programs:
Master of Science (MS), which is not a standalone program but awarded to PhD students after meeting certain requirements;
Master of Engineering (MEng), a one-year program that only admits MIT EECS undergraduates;
Electrical Engineer (EE) / Engineer in Computer Science.
◆ California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Caltech, a renowned institute on par with MIT, has its EE department within the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. The program is small and elite, lasting one year. Caltech’s EE expects applicants to have a background in physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, etc.
◆ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UIUC has produced many outstanding figures and is especially strong in semiconductor physics, electrical machinery, electromagnetics, and systems (communications/control/DSP/image processing, etc.), as well as some niche areas not found elsewhere, making significant contributions to EE. Bardeen, one of the inventors of the transistor, won his second Nobel Prize here, and the semiconductor program he left behind remains one of the best in the nation. UIUC’s admission standards are somewhat unique; you might sweep top-10 schools but still receive a rejection from UIUC.
3
Computer Science (CS)
Computer Science is an extremely popular major for studying abroad, and as seen from earlier data, the top H1-B visa occupations are concentrated in CS fields. Most CS curricula include courses in hardware systems, software systems, algorithms, artificial intelligence, etc. Different schools may have different emphases, with concentrations such as human-computer interaction, AI, information management, etc. The market demand for top CS talent is high, and average earnings are quite good. So, don't still think your CS classmate is just a computer repair person!
Featured programs:
◆ Carnegie Mellon University
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, CMU boasts an entire school dedicated to CS, which is extremely strong. Although saying “everyone does CS” is a bit of an exaggeration, many students from other majors do switch to CS and secure good jobs. Admission difficulty varies by program; for example, the MCDS program admits around 50 students per year.
◆ Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science primarily conducts research in Artificial Intelligence, Graphics, Programming Languages, and Systems. The master's program is a two-year course, with concentrations in Information Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Systems, and Theory. The school is relatively difficult to get into, requiring a background in math, physics, computer science, or engineering.
◆ Stanford University
As mentioned earlier, Stanford is deeply influenced by the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial culture, which is also reciprocal; Stanford’s CS program is highly ranked. Many students start their own companies; founders of famous tech firms like Google, Yahoo, HP, NVIDIA, and LinkedIn are Stanford alumni. The Stanford CS department has over 500 students, with relatively few Chinese students.
4
Statistics
Amid the big data boom, statistics has become a very hot major in recent years. Statistics is a branch of applied mathematics that uses probability theory to build mathematical models, collects data from observed systems, performs quantitative analysis and summarization, and then makes inferences and predictions to support decision-making. Statistics programs in U.S. universities emphasize solving real-world problems and focus on students' ability to apply statistical software and hands-on skills.
Featured programs:
◆ Stanford University
The top-ranked Stanford University’s MS in Statistics features a Data Science track jointly offered by ICME and Statistics. With high-quality faculty and a West Coast location offering abundant job opportunities, it is a dream school for many applicants. The Data Science program admits very few students, making competition extremely intense.
◆ Carnegie Mellon University
As a renowned computer science school, CMU emphasizes application and programming, greatly enhancing the employability of statistics graduates. CMU offers both MS and PhD in Statistics; the PhD program has about 50% international students and is quite welcoming to international applicants.
◆ Columbia University
With a prestigious platform and a prime New York City location, plus flexible background requirements for applicants, Columbia is a popular choice for statistics. Having programming language skills, such as R or Python, is a plus.
5
Public Administration (MPA)
Master of Public Administration (MPA) can be considered the versatile major for liberal arts. It covers a wide range of areas and can lead to careers in government agencies, non-profit organizations, policy analysis institutions such as think tanks, and policy consulting firms. Additionally, many students use this major as a springboard into other roles, such as working for large international NGOs like the United Nations or World Bank, or the Big Four accounting firms and industry companies in the U.S. This is a professional degree; during the program, you not only gain professional knowledge but also learn analytical methods, quantitative skills, and real-world problem-solving approaches.
Featured programs:
◆ Syracuse University
Syracuse University was the first school in the U.S. to establish an MPA program, and its MPA is ranked first nationally with high prestige. The program offers seven areas of concentration, lasts 12 months, and admits about 110-120 students each year. There are no specific undergraduate course requirements like Economics or Statistics, but applicants must possess strong mathematical and analytical abilities. About 80% of students have several years of work experience, and the rest have substantial internship experience. Overall, Syracuse's MPA demands fairly high qualifications from applicants.
◆ Harvard University
Harvard's MPA is offered by the renowned Kennedy School of Government. The MPA is a two-year program covering many courses, including economics, empirical analysis, electoral politics, public responsibility and policy, political and organizational analysis, and public organization management. Applicants must have at least three years of full-time work experience. The MPP is also a two-year program; its curriculum is similar to the MPA’s, the main difference being five required foundation courses: philosophy (especially political philosophy), history (aimed at cultivating historical perspective), law, economics, and sociology. Some undergraduate background in economics, algebra, and statistics is expected; work experience is not mandatory but 2-3 years are preferred.
◆ Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana Bloomington offers a Master of Public Affairs with 12 concentration areas, tied for first place with Syracuse in the 2017 USNEWS Public Affairs rankings. The program duration is two years, with no specific undergraduate background required, but some work experience is expected.
