What not to study: The 20 college majors with the highest unemployment rates

• Even if you have a high-paying job, it doesn't mean you have guaranteed job stability.
• According to a recent study by Bankrate, many high-paying college majors also come with above-average unemployment rates.
• The college major with the highest unemployment rate was petroleum engineering, with 7.5% of graduates unemployed.
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Having a high-paying job doesn't necessarily mean you'll have job stability, and vice versa.

Some college majors that lead to high-paying jobs also come with above-average unemployment rates - and that includes majors in fields like engineering, cognitive science, and the arts.

Financial education company Bankrate looked at unemployment rates for college majors, based on the most recent available data from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey. Using weighted data, Bankrate determined unemployment rates and incomes for graduates across 162 majors that employed at least 15,000 people.

The median income for degree holders in the study was $55,000, and the average unemployment rate was 2.8%. Bankrate supplied Business Insider directly with the number of graduates employed in each major on the list.

The major with the highest unemployment rate was petroleum engineering, with 7.5% of graduates unemployed - despite graduates with that major having a median income of $87,600.

Here are the 20 college majors with the highest unemployment rates.