Question 1

What does an interdisciplinary degree actually signal to employers?

Accepted Answer

It depends almost entirely on the specific major. An employer reviewing a resume from a Data Science, General graduate — offered at 205 colleges with 2,068 completions — understands immediately what skills are likely present: programming, statistical analysis, machine learning fundamentals. The top career for that major is software developers, with a median wage of $133,080. Business Analytics (102 colleges, 1,032 completions) sends a similarly clear signal toward management analysts ($101,190 median wage) and operations roles. By contrast, a degree in Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General — 398 colleges, 8,996 completions, no top career mapped in the data — sends a much more ambiguous signal and depends heavily on the student's ability to articulate what they actually studied and why it is relevant. The family median of $52,919 reflects this heterogeneity: some majors produce graduates who enter the labor market with concrete technical skills, while others function primarily as pre-professional or transfer-completion credentials. The short answer: the major name matters more in this family than in almost any other.

Question 2

How is Data Science, General different from a general interdisciplinary degree?

Accepted Answer

Data Science, General sits in CIP family 30 because it draws from mathematics, statistics, computer science, and domain-specific fields rather than originating in any one department. But in labor market terms, it is one of the most purposeful majors in this family. Offered at 205 colleges with 2,068 completions, it maps directly to software developers ($133,080 median wage) as its top career, and data-adjacent roles across finance, healthcare, and tech are the typical hiring destinations. Business Analytics (102 colleges, 1,032 completions) and Financial Analytics (12 colleges, 557 completions) follow similar logic — they are interdisciplinary by construction but professionally focused by design. Compare that to Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (398 colleges, 8,996 completions), which has no top career mapped in the data and tends to function as a flexible credential rather than a targeted one. If your goal is entering a data-adjacent role after graduation, Data Science or Business Analytics within this family is a meaningfully different choice from the generic interdisciplinary degree — even though both carry the same CIP family designation.

Question 3

Which programs in this family have the clearest career paths?

Accepted Answer

The clearest career paths belong to the majors with specific technical or applied identities. Data Science, General (205 colleges, 2,068 completions) leads to software developers at $133,080. Mathematics and Computer Science (78 colleges, 1,125 completions) shares the same top career. Human Computer Interaction (23 colleges, 813 completions) points to computer and information systems managers, a role with strong compensation. Business Analytics (102 colleges, 1,032 completions) maps to management analysts ($101,190 median wage). Behavioral Sciences (99 colleges, 2,603 completions) leads to social and community service managers, a defined public-sector and nonprofit path. Nutrition Sciences (126 colleges, 3,240 completions) links to health specialties teaching, though clinical dietitian roles typically require a supervised practice credential beyond the bachelor's. The least clear career paths in the family are the broad catchalls — Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (765 colleges, 22,721 completions) and Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General (398 colleges, 8,996 completions) — both of which have no top career mapped in the data.

Question 4

Is Cognitive Science worth pursuing as an undergraduate major?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive Science, General is one of the more intellectually distinctive options in this family. Offered at 62 colleges with 2,642 completions, it combines linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and computer science to study how minds — biological and artificial — process information. The top career mapped to it in the data is postsecondary teachers, which reflects how strongly the field skews toward graduate school and research careers. For undergraduates who stop at the bachelor's, cognitive science is a strong credential for roles in UX research, human-computer interaction, and AI product work — particularly when paired with coursework in programming or statistics. The 62-college availability is relatively selective compared to the broad interdisciplinary majors, which means programs tend to be more structured and taught by faculty who specialize in the field. Students who are genuinely interested in the intersection of mind, language, and computation will find it more intellectually rigorous than a general interdisciplinary degree, but they should go in with a clear plan for what comes after graduation, since the bachelor's alone does not have a single obvious hiring destination.

Question 5

Should I choose an interdisciplinary major or a focused single-discipline degree?

Accepted Answer

The honest answer depends on what you are optimizing for. If you want the highest ROI from a bachelor's degree with a clear employer signal, a focused degree in engineering, nursing, or computer science typically outperforms a generic interdisciplinary credential. The family median of $52,919 for Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies is comparable to the national average for bachelor's graduates, but that number masks an enormous spread: Data Science and Business Analytics graduates enter the labor market with skills that employers actively recruit, while Sustainability Studies (158 colleges, 1,590 completions) and International/Globalization Studies (364 colleges, 3,967 completions) graduates most often end up in postsecondary teaching roles that require graduate degrees. The case for choosing an interdisciplinary major is strongest when the program in question is itself focused — Data Science, Business Analytics, Human Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science — and weakest when the program is chosen because it offers flexibility without a clear destination. If flexibility is what you actually need, a general studies or liberal arts degree may serve the same function with less administrative friction.

Sorted by popularity

Biological and Physical Sciences

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General

International/Globalization Studies

Behavioral Sciences

Cognitive Science, General

Data Science, General

Nutrition Sciences

Human Biology

Natural Sciences

Sustainability Studies

Mathematics and Computer Science

Business Analytics

Human Computer Interaction

Geography and Environmental Studies

Financial Analytics

Science, Technology and Society

Computational Science

Systems Science and Theory

Marine Sciences

Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution

Data Analytics, General

Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis

Biopsychology

Mathematical Economics

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Gerontology

Economics and Computer Science

Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology

Ancient Studies/Civilization

Environmental Geosciences

Historic Preservation and Conservation, General

Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies

Data Analytics, Other

History and Political Science

Maritime Studies

Museology/Museum Studies

Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) Program

Earth Systems Science

Data Visualization

Digital Humanities

Design for Human Health

Data Science, Other

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Anthrozoology

Climate Science

Holocaust and Related Studies

Geoarcheaology

Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature

Linguistics and Computer Science

Historic Preservation and Conservation, Other

Linguistics and Anthropology

Contemplative Studies/Inquiry

Dispute Resolution

Economics and Foreign Language/Literature

Accounting and Computer Science

Classical and Ancient Studies, Other

Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, Other

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