The 10 least valuable college majors

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The 10 least valuable college majors

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The least valuable college majors are in the arts and creative fields.

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  • The least valuable college majors may land you your dream job - but not your dream pay.
  • Bankrate recently took a look at the least valuable college majors - the top ten were in arts, creative, and psychology fields.
  • However, that doesn't mean that obtaining a degree in a creative space isn't a wise investment.

Sometimes, your dream job doesn't always align with dream prospects and dream pay. That is, depending on what degree you graduate with from college.

Bankrate recently took a look at the most and least valuable college majors based on data from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey. Using weighted data, they determined the employment and unemployment rates and incomes for graduates for their first year out of college across 162 majors that employed at least 15,000 people. They also considered the number of college graduates who held a higher secondary degree.

With the most valuable college majors in the business, science, and math fields, it's not all too unpredictable that the least valuable college majors fall into the arts and creative fields.

But that doesn't mean graduates with degrees in those fields are doomed.

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"Obtaining a creative arts degree, or miscellaneous arts degree or being in any sort of creative space is a terrific investment, and I would strongly advocate for it," Philip Olson, who holds a theater and dance degree, told Bankrate. "I would caveat that to say that if you get a degree in that space, expect to use it in a nontraditional way if you want to be successful."

Below, see the top-10 least valuable college majors.

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10. Library Science

10. Library Science

Average income: $48,754

Unemployment rate: 3.3%

9. Interdisciplinary and Multi-Disciplinary Studies (General)

9. Interdisciplinary and Multi-Disciplinary Studies (General)

Average income: $48,992

Unemployment rate: 5.4%

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8. Drama and Theater Arts

8. Drama and Theater Arts

Average income: $48,287

Unemployment rate: 5.2%

7. Educational Psychology

7. Educational Psychology

Average income: $54,097

Unemployment rate: 6.3%

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6. Human Services and Community Organization

6. Human Services and Community Organization

Average income: $45,111

Unemployment rate: 3.9%

5. Visual and Performing Arts

5. Visual and Performing Arts

Average income: $43,996

Unemployment rate: 4%

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4. Cosmetology Services and Culinary Arts

4. Cosmetology Services and Culinary Arts

Average income: $42,362

Unemployment rate: 4.7%

3. Clinical Psychology

3. Clinical Psychology

Average income: $51,022

Unemployment rate: 4.8%

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2. Composition and Speech

2. Composition and Speech

Average income: $44,211

Unemployment rate: 4.9%

1. Miscellaneous Fine Arts

1. Miscellaneous Fine Arts

Average income: $40,855

Unemployment rate: 9.1%

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